


My name is G

by CALLEN37



Category: NCIS: Los Angeles
Genre: Alternate Canon, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Gen, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-17
Updated: 2013-07-11
Packaged: 2017-12-08 18:28:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 38,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/764594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CALLEN37/pseuds/CALLEN37
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a raid on a scientist's lab. Callen and the team get a surprise as he wakes up the next day. This is a WIP and is SOOOO OOC it's gonna be unbelievable...you have been warned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

My name is G!

Chapter 1- my name is G!

It has been a grueling 3 months for the team; chasing down the scientist, Grant Mason who had been threatening to unleash a chemical weapon 'the likes of which the world has never seen' so he said, had been tiring to the team.

After Deeks, having to follow the man around for a month as a homeless bum just to make sure they had the right guy. To Kensi pretending to be his girlfriend to find out who his buyers were and Callen who played the irate ex-boyfriend to get her out safely. It all boiled down to Mason hiding out in his cabin in the woods. He had a laboratory hidden and Sam playing the role of a Muslim terrorist had managed to get the address out of Mason and they were all set to bring him down.

Tired and finally at the endgame they moved as one to take him down. Callen ordered Kensi and Deeks to take the back and Sam took his rear.

Pulling his gun he and Sam entered the cabin and walked towards a metal door in the back.

Callen opened the door and entered first.

The door swung back behind him effectively cutting him off from his team.

"G!" Sam called hammering on the door.

Callen pulled at the lock but the room was hermetically sealed.

Grant Mason lay dead on the floor a canister overturned but Callen thought nothing of it as he leant over Masons' body looking at the self inflicted gunshot wound.

"It's ok Sam he's down!" Callen called.

"How?"

"Suicide. I'll just figure how to open this door and then we'll get the coroner to pick him up." Callen called back.

After what was about twenty minutes a fan kicked in and the air was blown through the room. "You ok G?" Sam called hearing the fans.

"Yep sounds like some kind of air filtration system." Callen shouted over the whir of the fans.

The fans shut off and the door clicked open. Callen opened the door to find the coroner already there and his team standing with worried looks on their faces.

"Finally!" G sighed and walked out.

* * *

"You sure you're alright?" Sam asked again. Callen stood lifted his shirt and turned around with a smirk on his face.

"Look Ma! I'm fine," He grinned.

Sam rolled his eyes at his partner, "Well Hetty's gonna rip you a new one getting locked in with the suspect."

"It wasn't my fault there was a trip plate inside the door, Mason must have set it up before he shot himself. Probably thought I'd freak out getting locked in with a corpse." Callen griped.

They headed back to the mission and sure enough, Hetty took Callen aside.

"I am disappointed in you Mr. Callen, going into a booby trapped room, without checking a rookie mistake." She scolded.

The remark hurt Callen, but he never let it show. "I'm fine though Hetty," Callen said spreading his arms in supplication.

She looked him over, there was in truth not a mark on him despite the fact he seemed tired, nothing else looked wrong.

"Very well, go home Mr. Callen, your team as well, think of it as a job well done; you can all finish your reports in the morning." She said and smiled as she heard a whoop from Deeks in the bullpen who was already grabbing his bag and trying to coax the others out for a drink.

Callen let out a small smile and walked to get his own bag.

"You coming, Callen?" Deeks asked as he'd already managed to get Sam and Kensi and Eric to go with him.

"No…sorry, I have something else on." Callen lied, truth was he felt a bit off kilter, but had no intentions of letting his team know.

Deeks shrugged and draped an arm over Kensi's shoulder "More for me then." He stated.

"Ew!" Kensi exclaimed shrugging his arm off. Deeks and Sam laughed as they headed for the exit.

Wearily Callen climbed into his car, Drove home and before his head had hit his bedroll he was asleep.

* * *

Deeks walked in the bullpen wearing sunglasses and groped through his desk for some Advil.

Sam whistled as he walked around the corner. "Morning Deeks." He grinned.

Deeks glared at him, "I can't believe you two let me drink that much!" Deeks groused. Swallowing the painkillers with a large swig of coffee.

Kensi smiled as she walked in, "Morning Sam, Deeks….where's Callen?" she asked.

Sam looked around his bag wasn't there which was unusual, he looked at his watch it was nearly nine and Callen was known for getting in before eight every morning. He crossed to Hetty's office she was already indulging in her morning cup of tea.

"Hetty is Callen on assignment?" Sam asked.

"No, Mr. Hanna, I haven't seen him since he left last night," Hetty replied.

"I know it's a bit early Hetty, but I think something's wrong with G, He's never late." Sam said concerned.

"Why don't you take a drive to his house, maybe he overslept?" Hetty said not wanting to cause a panic.

* * *

The team drove to Callen's house, Sam got out first as Kensi and Deeks looked at the house from the outside.

"He's been burgled!" Kensi said staring in the window.

Sam grabbed the key from the pot plant by the back door and they walked into the house. "No," Sam smiled, "the house is usually like this."

Deeks and Kensi looked at the living room, which was empty save for a box on the mantelpiece with a small air-plant next to it and a lamp and a chair.

As they went through the kitchen Deeks knocked a glass over.

"Way to go stealthy!" Kensi said, "If Callen's asleep you'll have woken him up,"

Sam heard the noise of a door closing and put his hand up to get silence he drew his gun and went into Callen's bedroom.

"NCIS!" He called, no one answered as he went into the room.

"You sure he's not been burgled where's his bed?" Deeks asked.

Sam waved his gun towards G's bedroll on the floor. "Right where it always is."

Deeks looked stunned "No wonder he's so grumpy his back must be killing him. I'll have to recommend a good…." Deeks stopped as a small sniffle came from the closet.

Sam raised his gun and opened the door.

A small blond haired boy sat curled up in the corner making himself as small as possible, silent tears of terror running down his face as he looked up at the towering African American. Sam reached his arm out and the boy covered his head and whimpered.

Sam crouched down.

"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you, my name is Sam…what's yours?"

The boy sat in terror his eyes wide staring at the people looking at him.

"who..you…you hurt me?" the boy said in broken English.

Kensi crouched down beside him, "We're police men, we aren't going to hurt you."

Deeks pulled Sam out of the closet, "We have to call Hetty, where is Callen and why does he have a foreign kid in his house, that kid can't be more than three!" Deeks growled, "He doesn't even have any clothes he's just wearing one of Callen's shirts."

Sam shrugged; Kensi was trying to get the boy to talk as Sam filled Hetty in. He turned to Deeks and Kensi.

"Hetty and Nell are coming out to try and find out who the boy is…Eric's looking into Callen's files to see if he was on anything off the books."

"What's your name sweetie, mine's Kensi and this is Sam and Deeks." She said pointing to each of them in turn.

The boy looked blank.

"I don't think he understands." Kensi said.

"Te rog, Sunt speriat." The boy whispered.

"What language is that?" Deeks asked.

"That Mr. Deeks is Romani." Hetty replied walking into the room.

"Oh My!" She exclaimed looking at the child. If she didn't know better she'd swear she was back nearly forty years looking at Callen as a boy. She shook her head and leant forward towards him. "Sunt Henrietta Lange, ceea ce este denumire tău?"

He looked up in surprise wiping his tear stained face with his sleeve he smiled, "Denumire meu este G. Asta e ceea ce mi se spune, eu nu știu ce este numele meu real."

She stepped back and looked in shock.

"What did he say, does he know G?" Sam asked,

Hetty held her arms open and the boy ran into them as she held him tight, "No Mr. Hanna, this is Mr. Callen!" she exclaimed.

 


	2. SIX

Hetty wrapped Callen in a shirt and rolled up the sleeves.

He focused solely on Hetty, the one woman who he could understand. He trusted her, the others scared him and they kept staring and nudging each other. He was hungry and his side hurt. He couldn't remember how he hurt himself; he just figured it was whoever had him last.

He shivered and instantly stilled as a hand landed on his shoulder. He wanted to look up, but in the last few years he had learnt better. So he stood stock still and waited.

"G…you hungry?" Sam asked.

Callen looked at Sam blankly, Sam sighed in frustration and Callen dropped his gaze again. Sam felt all of Callen's muscles tense up in a pre fight or flight response.

He reached into Kensi's back pocket and handed Callen a chocolate bar.

Callen looked from Sam to the bar. He really wanted it…

As Sam looked up for a moment taking his hand and eyes off Callen, Callen snatched the bar and ran back into the closet to eat it.

Hetty turned to them "Ms Blye, Mr. Deeks I need you to go to the store and find some suitable clothing for our Mr. Callen. These are his sizes." She said tearing a piece of paper from a notebook and handing it and a black credit card to Deeks. "Also anything else you think a child of his age might need." She added.

"How old do you think he is?" Kensi asked.

Hetty looked at him through the doors. "Câți ani ai?" she asked him

"Sunt șase," Callen replied with a mouthful of chocolate.

Hetty turned to the others, "It seems our boy is Six." She told them.

Kensi and Deeks left to their mission and Sam squatted next to Hetty who sat on Callen's only chair.

"I would have thought he'd still be able to speak English." Sam said.

"I think he does, but he is more comfortable speaking Romani." Hetty said, "I need you to contact Mr. Beale. I need any more information as to what Grant Mason was working on and I need to know Mr. Callen's movements last night, did he go anywhere apart from here…And Mr. Hanna…May I borrow your daughters booster seat, Mr. Callen will have to come with us."

* * *

Hetty walked to the closet door, "Mr. Callen." She said and stood waiting.

Callen looked up, the small lady was there again, Miss, Lange. Callen looked at her she didn't look mad for him taking the chocolate bar but she did remind him of some of the ladies who had been nice to him and then moved him to live with nasty people. She held her hand out.

He looked down at his shirt, he still didn't have any clothes so she couldn't be moving him again. As scared as he was he liked this house, it felt safe to him. He looked at the door frame and saw his name scratched into the door the same time she noticed it.

"I no do that!" he panicked moving back again.

Hetty smiled, "It's alright Mr. Callen, I know all about it."

"You hit me?" he asked a little shake in his voice.

Hetty looked shocked, "No!"

Callen wiped his mouth and nose with his now filthy shirt sleeve and took a step towards her.

He came out of the cupboard and walked towards her again and she moved herself between him and the door. Callen looked around the room to see if he could see anything familiar.

"Am avut un accident?" he asked.

Hetty nodded, she really wasn't sure what to tell him. "We don't know what happened to you yet…but I think an accident would cover it. Now Mr. Callen, you need to try and speak English, it will be easier for everyone to understand you." She said gently.

Callen nodded, he had been told this by many people for as long as he could remember, but he knew when he got scared he forgot. "I'm sorry." He said looking glum. Hetty held out her arms, "Come here."

Callen walked stiffly towards her and flinched as she hugged him, then remembering how he had trusted her earlier relaxed into her hug and sobbed.

"I want mama." He sobbed.

"I know you do, but she can't be here right now. Will you let me look after you?" Hetty asked.

Callen nodded looking at her through his tear-stained blue eyes. Sam standing behind him grinned as their mini team leader melted the heart of their operations manager.

* * *

Kensi and Deeks walked in with armfuls of clothes.

"Never am I shopping with her again!" Deeks complained.

Kensi smiled, "He's just sulking because I made him leave the toy department."

Callen looked at the two of them quickly deciding they might not be a threat he looked out from behind Hetty at the bags they put on the floor.

"Right let's find you an outfit Mr. Callen." Hetty said. Deeks walked off to talk to Sam as Hetty and Kensi sorted the clothes into boxers, pants, socks shirts and other items.

"Do you see anything you like?" Kensi asked. Hoping Callen would talk to her.

Callen walked along and looked at the clothes. He pointed to a pair of jeans a blue t-shirt and a set of sneakers. "Please?" he asked. Kensi looked at Hetty, "Very well, Ms. Blye if you can pack the rest up for Mr. Callen for later he can wear these now." Hetty said.

Callen's eyes grew huge. "I keep?" he asked.

"Of course you need more than one outfit." Hetty said. Callen walked up the line and picked another pair of jeans a sweatshirt and socks and carried them over to Hetty, "Then these too…for cold day." He said solemnly.

Kensi looked over at Hetty, "Callen, these are all for you." She explained.

Getting him dressed and packing up the other clothes Hetty and Kensi got him ready to go.

Kensi and Deeks had piled the rest of Callen's things into Sam's car and they all headed off to the mission.

* * *

Callen climbed out of the car and grabbed Hetty's hand.

As they walked in the other staff in the building stopped to look at Callen, word had raced around the building. Eric stood agape as Callen walked in holding Hetty's hand.

"Mr. Beale!" Hetty called.

"Er….Nell called she's finished the tests on the water and everything else in Callen's house; she can't find anything that would have caused…..that." He said gesturing at Callen who shrank closer to Hetty.

"Very well," Hetty replied, "Anything more on Mason?" she asked.

"Still working on it." Eric said and headed back to ops.

"I thought Callen and his team took out Mason?" Granger said walking around the corner.

Granger pulled to a stop as he took in the boy holding Hetty's hand.

Callen had gone white, He stared at Granger….and then he launched himself at the man his fists flying and screaming one word.

"Ucigaș!" he sobbed

Granger pulled him off, "Who is this?" He said looking darkly at the boy.

"Owen, that's Mr. Callen." Hetty said pulling sobbing boy of the man and handing him to Kensi who took him away.

Hetty glared at him, "Owen, my office…maybe you would like to tell me why Mr. Callen just called you a killer."

 


	3. RUN!

* * *

Chapter 3 – RUN!

Callen couldn't believe it as he walked around this old airy building, he looked at the room in the corner; there was a house inside a house!

This place fascinated him, and he liked it here. A man on some stairs looked down and talked to the lady…Hetty…he had to remember that. He did feel shy as other people looked at him; it reminded him of the children's home where people looked at you before they took you. He held tighter to Hetty hand.

The turned to go to the little house part of the building when a man walked around the corner.

Callen's heart stopped. He knew that man….He remembered him being at the beach when he saw his momma shot.

Fear and grief welled inside him, He remembered that his momma was dead….That man had been there!

He pulled himself away from Hetty the Romani part of his heritage baying for the blood of this man who had hurt his mother, he screamed and hit him and felt strong hands pull him away as all he could do was fight against them.

"Callen, it's ok!" Kensi said as she pulled him down the hallway.

Callen quickly got his bearings and pulled away from her, he remembered a voice in his head, "Hide baby brother!" he ran as fast as he could dodging through the legs and hands of people trying to catch the slippery six year old.

He ran till he hit a wall and stumbled back, his wrist and head had impacted hard and he figured he might be hurt but he shook it off.

He ran till he found a huge room with a climbing wall.

* * *

He heard footsteps behind him and scrambled up the wall trying to get away.

"Stop! G!" He heard a man's voice bellow behind him.

Too scared to turn around in case it was the killer he carried on climbing ignoring the pain as his wrist that had been fractured as he hit the wall finally snapped. Callen hissed in pain and kept trying to climb but his injured arm was too sore and he lost his grip and fell.

"Shit!" Sam swore as he heard Callen's bone break and then saw his friend fall. Kensi came into the gym just as Callen closed his eyes and let go falling towards the ground.

Sam launched himself under the falling boy and caught him as he fell.

"G? You ok?" Sam asked as they landed on their backs. Callen scrambled up and tried to run again.

"G….Your safe…I'm not going to hurt you…I'm your friend."

"No!" Callen struggled in Sam's grip, "I not have any friends…everybody hurt me….Let me go!"

"G…you need to see a doctor." Sam said slowly letting go of the struggling six year old.

Callen put his feet on the floor and backed up into the corner of the room cradling his arm, "I no hurt." Callen said. Holding his arm protectively.

"Callen can I see?" Kensi asked.

Kensi watched as Callen lifted his arm from behind his hand and held down the vomit as she could see the bone pushing against the skin. Callen moved past her and walked back to where he saw the desks were he grabbed two rulers from the desk and some tape, biting his lip he pulled his arm straight and set it with the rulers as splints and taped it up as they watched moving out of their way every time they tried to help.

"It ok now!" He said with the defiant glare he had staring at the both of them.

Kensi and Sam looked at each other and paled. He was only six and he'd splinted his arm like a seasoned medic.

"Where did you learn to do that Callen?" Kensi asked.

"Children Home…It break I fix. My responsibility." Callen said flatly.

Sam balled up his fists, if he didn't already know the children's home Callen had been in had closed down he'd have closed it himself.

Callen saw Sam ball up his fists and he shrunk into a corner and protected his head with his good arm twisting his body to hide his bad arm.

Sam dropped to a crouch. He looked at Kensi guilty. "I didn't mean to scare you G." Sam said softly he turned to Kensi, "What happened."

"Granger…"

Sam looked over to Hetty's office. Granger was sitting talking to Hetty, "Callen saw him and screamed something at him and started attacking him, I pulled him off and Callen ran,"

* * *

Callen watched the two adults talking; they called the bad man Granger.

Callen looked at the desks beside him he had noticed something as he'd grabbed the tape. He sneaked behind Sam and slowly placed his hand in Sam's pocket.

Pick pocketing was a skill he'd had for as long as he could remember. Sam moved away from Callen to call a paramedic for his arm and Callen with the key he was after in his hand moved towards the desk.

He unlocked it reached in and took out a gun; he figured it was Sam's as the key fit.

The gun was bulky and heavy and he managed to slip behind the grownups and he sneaked across the room. Hetty sat with Granger, she looked really mad, and then her face changed to fright.

Granger stopped in mid sentence, she had never seen Hetty scared of anything.

"Mr. Callen…Don't move." She said shakily.

The others in the bullpen stopped and Kensi's hands flew to her mouth as she saw a little boy shakily with his one unbroken hand try and lift a gun and aim it at Granger.

Granger turned to Callen.

He dropped to one knee and looked the boy in the eye.

"N-am ucis mama. Am fost angajat să te scot din România în siguranță, îmi pare rău că nu am ajunge la timp." Granger said looking him in the eye.

"No….I saw you…" Callen said

"I arrived as our other operative took you from the beach." Granger said.

A tremor of pain wracked through him and he dropped the gun. Granger grabbed it and handed it to Hetty, "It wasn't loaded."

Callen fainted from the pain and Granger caught him.

"Has anyone called a paramedic yet?" He asked.

"They're on their way." Sam said.

"I didn't realize you were with the CIA then?" Hetty said as she ran a hand over Callen's forehead.

"I wasn't," Granger said.

Hetty looked at him strangely as he walked towards the paramedics and gently lay the boy down on the couch.

He stood back as they worked on splinting his arm and gave him pain relief. She pulled him back.

"You didn't?" she said to Granger surprised by this revelation.

"No…I worked for his father." He said to her quietly.

 


	4. Big Red Plaster Cast

Chapter 4 – Big Red Plaster cast.

Callen woke up in hospital. His arm felt heavy and his ribs still hurt.

He lay still as he heard a door open and pretended to be asleep; he felt his arm being lifted and he yelped as a big cuff was placed over his arm and inflated.

"Ah, you're awake?" The doctor said.

Callen opened his eyes and did a quick check of the room before his eyes settled on the doctor.

She wore a brightly colored lab coat and had a red stethoscope hanging from her neck. "I'm Dr. Lymer; I'm going to be looking after you…" She smiled at him and helped him to sit up. "What's your name sweetie?" she asked looking at his form trying to hide a slight frown. "I think they forgot to put it on here."

"Denumire meu este G…I…mean…my name is G." he said quietly.

She smiled at him, "It's a lovely name sweetie. I'll be back later when your mommy and daddy are here; I need to talk to them about your arm."

Callen looked hopefully, his daddy was coming!

"Do you remember what happened?" She asked him pointing to his arm.

"I stupid." Callen said looking at the floor.

Another frown crossed the doctor's face she hid it quickly and smiled at the poor boy, "Nope I bet it wasn't your fault. Anyway it's broken but you were asleep. So we put a cast on your arm, we will be putting a big cast on in a moment, you have a choice of four colors, pink, blue, green and red."

"I pick?" Callen asked amazed he had a choice; he remembered before they had only ever had white one's that were nasty and itchy.

"Yep!" She held out one of each and Callen let out a huge smile.

"RED!" He giggled as the painkiller the doctor had injected took effect, "I like red."

She took the red bandage, and carefully plastered his wrist and lower arm, and then she wound the red bandage around the top. "You're very brave, would you like a sticker?" She asked.

Callen nodded and the doctor placed a sticker on his chest and she laid him back with pillow resting his arm and stroked his forehead as he fell asleep.

* * *

She walked out of his door "Sweet boy," She remarked to a nurse who nodded.

"He is that, he was brought in yesterday afternoon." The nurse said.

"Where are the details on his parents, I've just cast his arm, they can come in early to see him if they want to, he could use the visit."

"We don't have any," The nurse said, "Just the contact details for a federal agency. There is the number for a Henrietta Lange as the kids next of kin and NCIS Washington as the contact address."

"Washington? How come he's in LA?" The Doctor asked picking up the phone and dialing the number.

"Hello is that Ms Lange….I'm Doctor Lymer, I'm trying to contact the parents of G Callen,"

"Is he alright?" Hetty asked

"His wrist is broken and he has some bruising on his ribs. We have put a cast on his arm and will be ready to release him soon; I was hoping to be able to talk to his parents about some things I've noticed." She said.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible, his parents are….indisposed." She said not willing to go through the situation with her.

Dr. Lymer bristled at Hetty's tone. "Very well I'll contact child services; this was just a courtesy call." She slammed the phone down.

* * *

Deeks and Kensi walked into the mission and over to Hetty's office, "We've looked everywhere, there still seems to be nothing more on Grant Mason than we had earlier. Nell's finished with the lab techs processing the scene of Mason's death; it looks like the compound that caused this was a mixture of two jars that fell of Masons' desk as he shot himself. It looks like nothing more than a mistake. Nell has the separate compounds and she's online talking to Abby in DC to see if there is an antidote." Kensi said.

"Good I need you two to go to the hospital and pick up Mr. Callen before the doctor reports him to child services." Hetty said.

"I thought Sam was with him?" Deeks said surprised Callen had been left alone.

"He was until late last night, His wife phoned his daughter's appendix burst and he's had to go with her to hospital. I have been tied up with Director Vance and haven't made it there yet." Hetty admitted.

* * *

Granger watched from around the corner, he knew he needed to have that conversation with Hetty that he had hoped never to have. His involvement in Callen's past was never meant to be made public, he knew Kensi and Deeks could handle the hospital, but his longest mandate made him want to go, the same way he had visited Callen when he had been shot four years ago and throughout his life when he had had hospital visits. His prime directive….he smiled, (Eric would appreciate that one.) was and always had been protect the children.

Owen still years later felt the sting of Amy's death; he hadn't realized that she and the Lawson girl would sneak out of the orphanage he had placed her in. He couldn't have foreseen them sneaking out and her falling into the river and drowning, he hadn't found out until three months later when he had gone to visit Amy's new foster parents and they had shown him a picture, that she wasn't Amy Callen. He didn't know why Hannah Lawson had taken the child's name, but he knew she must have a good reason and he felt no need to out the child. The worst part had been telling her father she had died and sitting with him as he cried with grief and sorrow over the death of his eldest child.

"Promise me Owen, You will watch over my son and try to keep him safe." He had said.

Owen had looked at the man, "I will try my best, your son…he has not had it easy, his foster placements have not all been successful although I have managed to get him moved as fast as I can without arousing suspicion."

The man looked at the latest photo of his eight year old son. "I hate not having him with me, but this is safer this way…Tell me about him?" He asked swishing a drink through his glass.

Owen had smiled and told him about Callen's love of baseball and how his latest foster parents allowed him to try out for little league. Also how Callen had a love of tree climbing and was very speedy, giving Owen more than one scare watching his charge climb trees in his schoolyard and holding in a laugh as his teachers tried to coax him down.

"He's picked up the language well; his accent is all but gone. His grades are good, that doesn't change even though he has been moved three times this year, he's with a couple called Murphy right now, they are lovely barring any unforeseen circumstances we shouldn't have to move him for another month." He said.

The man smiled. "Thank you." He sighed looking at his photograph of the little boy in the baseball uniform.

* * *

Owen walked past Hetty office and headed for the door.

"Mr. Granger?" Hetty called. Owen braced himself and stopped.

"Henrietta." Granger replied.

"We need to talk…You need to tell me what you know about Mr. Callen." Hetty said hoping for something she could tell the boy later on.

"No I don't…Hetty, we've been friends for years, and you are not cleared to know what I know. But I can tell you this, his father charged me with watching him and where possible protecting him, I've watched that boy suffer more than any child should ever suffer and by going through it still be kept safer than if he hadn't. I will die for him if I have to, he may hate me…that's fine…but I will uphold my duty and my promise to protect him. That's all you need to know. Now I'm going to make sure he is released from hospital without any paperwork remaining….that's my job." Granger said and walked off leaving an unusually speechless Hetty behind.

 


	5. He's been WHAT!

Chapter 5 – He's been WHAT!

Dr. Lymer stood outside Callen's room waiting for the lady from child services to arrive.

She had gone in the room twice to check the boy's vitals and he had sat staring at the door looking for his parents to arrive. She had no idea how to tell the boy they weren't coming. She didn't know why they weren't coming for their son, although the way that Federal Agent woman had spoken and from judging the boy's reactions she suspected his parents were military, having dealt with NCIS before and that the boy had been abused in some way.

She looked up as a woman walked down the corridor, "Charlene," She smiled, she had known Charlene on and off for years she was the hospital's assigned children's worker. "Lynette, I hear you have a little boy for me?" she asked her.

"Six years old, maybe from an immigrant family, name of G Callen, I can't get his first name; I tried to contact his parents and got redirected to a federal agency. She wouldn't give me any information." She sighed annoyed.

Charlene looked at the doctor, "What about the boy, it said in your message you thought he was being abused?" She asked concerned.

"Come and meet him," Dr Lymer said and they walked into his room.

Callen lay on his bed holding his arm gently tracing his fingers over the bumps in the fiberglass; he looked up as the door opened and immediately went on the defensive. He hadn't moved a muscle but he looked ready to bolt and Charlene noticed this as she entered.

She walked over to the bed and smiled. "Hello I'm Charlie, I hear your name is G, I'm from children's services." She said.

At that Callen moved to the edge of the bed away from her. She reached out trying to reassure the boy, "I'm not going to hurt you…" She said and touched his shoulder. Callen slithered down between the bed and the wall kicking a kidney pan that had been placed on the bed for his nausea which clattered down to the floor with a bang.

He maneuvered himself as far under the bed as he could go.

* * *

Charlene looked concerned at Dr. Lymer. "This is definitely a sign of a troubled child." She said standing up straight. "I don't want to scare him any more…." She stopped as she heard arguing from one of the nurses outside the room.

The door burst open and Kensi and Deeks came in. "What's going on here?"

Charlie pulled herself up and stood toe to toe with the blond haired man. "Are you this boy's father?" she asked.

"No, I'm Detective Marty Deeks LAPD assigned to protect him; this is Special Agent Kensi Blye NCIS, what's going on...?" He looked on the bed "Where's Callen?" he asked concerned "And who are you?"

"I'm Charlene Masters Child Welfare services; I'm here to take the boy into foster care." She said stubbornly. Kensi and Deeks looked down as they heard a whimper.

"G….it's Kensi, you ok?" She asked crouching down and looking under the bed.

Callen looked up his body shaking from head to toe. He moved away from her scared.

"You are not taking him, it's obvious this child has been through some sort of abuse, I'll get a court order if I need too, he's going into the system where he'll be safe and looked after." Charlene said.

Kensi looked at Deeks. "Ring Hetty!" she said not sure how to calm this woman down.

* * *

"No need." Granger said walking in behind them.

He showed the woman his credentials, "You will be getting a call from your superior relinquishing all rights of the boy to me. You can leave now." He snapped.

Charlene wouldn't move.

Granger crouched down, "Callen….haide fiul, tatălui tău mi-a trimis pentru a vă menține sigur. Îți amintești ... porumbei albi, cuvintele mamei tale să se pentru a vă menține sigur."

Callen's eyes went wide and he shot out from under the bed into Grangers arms, the words he had used he remembered his mother teaching to him the last time he saw her she had told him to remember to always trust the person who told him white doves. This man must have told the truth about his mother arranging for him to take him off the beach, he hadn't told anyone what she had told him and yet he knew.

The others stared at Granger open mouthed, the doctor and social worker because of Callen's abrupt change in mood and his charge to cling onto the gruff man. Kensi and Deeks because Callen was clinging to Granger.…..Granger!

This was all too weird.

Granger watched as Charlene's phone rang and she paled as a voice on the other end reamed her out.

"But…..but sir!" she said. She looked at Granger and ran from the room.

"Get me Callen's discharge papers and we are out of here." Granger said to the Doctor. She nodded clearly angry and stormed out.

"Callen, you must go with Kensi and Deeks, I have someone I have to go and see, but I will come back to the mission…you remember Hetty, you're going to stay with her until I'm back."

Callen looked distraught. "You be back?" he asked.

Granger let out a rare smile, "I have to see someone who is very important, but I will be back."

"Tata?" Callen asked.

Granger smiled, and gave a small nod, "Go with Deeks and Kensi." He said and Kensi took his hand and the three of them walked out of the hospital as Granger took the paperwork from the doctor.

"I don't care if you were the Assistant Director to the President; if that little boy ends up in here again I will report you." Dr. Lymer said.

Granger looked at the doctor and smiled, "Doctor, if he ends up back in here then I'm not doing my job." He turned and walked out.

* * *

As soon as he left the hospital he picked up the phone. "It's Granger….there's been a situation…we need to meet." He said he waited as the voice on the other end talked.

"No, he's not dead, but… Look I have to show you this is something I can't tell you over the phone." He growled. Granger looked at the phone as the other party yelled down the phone.

"Fine," Granger sighed, "Your son has been turned into a six year old and has broken his arm, and I've just had to clear up his records from the hospital."

He held the phone at arm's length grimacing as a heavily accented voice yelled down it, "HE'S BEEN WHAT!"

 


	6. Meeting and Play

Chapter 6 – Meeting and play

Granger knocked on the door to the motel room, waited then entered.

The man was sitting on the bed a glass of scotch in his hand looking at a worn photo of Callen in a baseball uniform.

"Tell me how it happened, this….this shouldn't be possible?" he said his voice shaking. Of all the things he had protected his son from, this had come nowhere remotely near anything he could have conceived of.

"I know Sir, It was a Lab accident, and Callen was chasing a suspect. He went in first and tripped some sort of security device. The scientist had already killed himself and knocked over some vials on his way down. The chemicals were in the air and Callen breathed them in. The room had been hermetically sealed so no one else was affected and there were fan's which took the air away and cleaned it before the doors opened. Callen was just stuck on the wrong side." Granger explained pouring himself a glass and sitting on a chair.

"Seems like my boy's lot in life to be stuck on the wrong side." He said sadly.

"You could use this as an opportunity; you could come and see him. We don't know how permanent this is, you could have back some of the years you lost." Granger suggested.

A look of sadness crossed the man's face. "Ah Owen, I would if I could, but while he's this age he's back to being in more danger again, if my enemies found out….."

"The Comescu's are all gone or out of business."

"And the rest…." He said sadly, "For many years Clara and I made enemies. Until our son was born we thought we had made it safely away…" He shrugged and let out a sad laugh, "For five years we did…but they always find us…my poor Clara paid the price for our lack in vigilance, if I were to ever be connected with him…" The man shook his head and allowed a single tear to fall.

Owen knew what it was his only outward sign of despair for the loss of his love and his family.

"I miss her too." Owen said sadly.

"Yes my friend, I know you do. She was precious to you; we both lost a lot that day."

Owen smiled in an attempt to lift the mood, "I have photo's I managed to get a few before anyone noticed."

He pulled out a tablet and blue toothed the pictures over to it and handed it to him.

"There are a few of him before he broke his arm…two after."

The man smiled, "He always did like red." He said looking at the sight of his son walking with Kensi and Deeks to the car the sunlight shining off his blond hair.

"He looks like you." Owen commented.

"My hair, my eyes, yours and Clara's stubborn nature I think." He smiled.

Owen shrugged, "Yes Clara was always the stubborn one….she take after our mother." He admitted. "You know the adult version hates me." He told his brother in law sadly.

The man stood up as he went to refill his glass, he patted Owen on the shoulder. "It is a necessary evil I am afraid for his safety. He is my last remaining living child and despite his best attempts I want him kept that way,"

"Sir, do you think you will ever contact him?" Owen asked.

The man turned and looked at Owen "One day, when it is finally safe and they are all gone."

* * *

Callen hadn't said a word the whole way back to the mission. Except to nod when Kensi asked him if he was hungry and they had stopped off for a burger on the way back.

Kensi had given Callen the burger and once he was back in the car and they were strapped in he had eaten as fast as he could. Kensi had shot Deeks a look.

"Hey slow down bud, there's no hurry." He said fearing Callen would choke on his dinner.

Callen looked at him quizzically, "You no take?" He asked.

Kensi held up bag, "We have ours." She said.

"But I bad in Spitalul…Hos...pital" He said falling over the English word and looking ashamed.

"No you weren't, you were scared that's ok you're a kid. But we wouldn't take your food from you." Kensi said

Callen cocked his head to one side. He liked these people, but he didn't understand them a bit. For so long his life had consisted of, you are bad, you are stupid because you can't speak properly and you have to be punished. That's what adults were….weren't they.

He knew Granger wouldn't hurt him; he hadn't punished him for hurting him and holding the gun on him. Granger knew the words his mother had taught him to keep him safe, and….Granger had nodded just a bit when he had asked if he was going to see his father maybe he knew him. The Hetty lady had been nice too….but the large man, Sam….he scared him. Granted he had caught him as he fell and stopped him from getting hurt, but there was an undercurrent of raw power in him. Callen knew for a fact that adults with that much power usually meant pain for him.

"So, buddy what do you want to do when we get back to the mission?" Deeks asked.

Callen shrugged and thought about it all the way back.

* * *

Kensi and Deeks were worried about him, he hadn't spoke much and to be honest what he had said had been unsettling, they wondered how much their team leader had been through in his original childhood. Deeks had decided that as soon as they got back he was going to grab some of the toys he had brought for Callen and let him play and be a child.

They pulled up outside the mission and Kensi opened the door to let Callen out. She reached down to grab Callen's food and take it into the mission but he grabbed it with his broken arm in what had to be a painful grip.

"Okay, you can carry it." She smiled and backed off.

Callen followed them in and he leant against the wall as they put their bags down.

"So have you decided what you want to do?" Deeks asked wondering whether he'd like to color, read or play.

Callen looked around the room. Nodded and walked over to the trashcans. He picked one up and then emptied another one into it and lifted the full trashcan with his good arm balancing it with his bad one. He looked around and realized he didn't know where the dumpster was...

He bit his lip worried and headed for the door, it had to be outside…somewhere.

"What are you doing?" Kensi asked.

Callen jumped. "I sorry…he said I pick work, you want me clean something else first?" He asked confused.

Kensi crouched down to him and gently took the trashcan off him.

"Deeks meant what you wanted to do like color, read or play." She said gently.

"Play….Color?" Callen asked confused.

Kensi's heart broke at the genuinely confused boy.

* * *

She walked him over to a table with colors on it and paper and sat him down. He looked at them and then looked back at her blankly. She picked up a purple pen and drew three stick figures, one a man with flippy hair, a girl in a dress and a small stick figure with a red arm. "See that's you me and Deeks." She said. She handed him a piece of paper and the purple pen.

He drew a beach the sun and the sea a stick figure in a big floppy hat laying on a chair a small figure with a bucket and spade and a girl figure with pigtails holding a flower. Then he took the colors the girl had big blue tears and the woman had a big red patch by her head and a big black monster stood behind the boy with sharp teeth and claws. Callen looked at the picture and dropped the pen…."No more color…..please….I clean now." He said trying to get down from the desk.

She helped him down, "You can play now then?" she said. Callen gave her the 'what you on about' look she remembered seeing in him as an adult.

He wasn't daft he'd seen toys in the foster homes he had been in. he knew what to do with them. He saw them all on the floor. He went over to them, picked them up one by one and started putting them in the corner neatly.

Kensi picked up a motorbike, like the one she had seen Callen watching from the car on the way home and a car that looked like theirs.

She made car noises and drove them around the carpet. Callen leant against the couch and giggled.

Kensi's smile shot off the scale; she decided that was the best sound she had ever heard. "Hey Deeks!" She called "Come play with us."

Hetty from her office stopped as she heard the sounds of two of her agents being cars. Deeks of course being a police car and Kensi evading him and both of them falling over as the cars weaved around the floor. Callen hadn't picked a car up yet, but his eyes were sparkling.

Then she heard it.

For once there was going to be no admonishment of her team acting like children as she finally heard something she had never heard all her years of knowing Callen. She didn't care who saw them playing cars on the carpet.

Callen was laughing.

 


	7. Trusting Sam

Chapter 7

Tired, Owen walked back to the mission on opening the door he stopped and listened to a sound he never thought he'd hear again, Callen as a child laughing.

He leant against the wall closing his eyes against the sudden pain of the memory the sound brought with it.

Callen had been three, when he, Amy and Clara had gone to a local amusement park. Callen and Amy had gone on a children's ride while Clara had taken Owen aside and told him of her fears and her and her husband's plans to get the children out of Romania and safely to American soil should they become compromised. Owen had pulled Clara into a hug and reassured his sister. "Nothing's going to happen, you are all safe, your youngest is three now, Amy is five, if they were to come after you don't you think they would have done by now."

Clara shrugged put on a fake smile and waved at her children, "I don't know I am just scared." She said, "I have taught the children the safe word we used as children when momma used to send people to pick us up, White Dove…If you do need to go and save my children, if…God forbid, I can't be there for them, you find them and you do everything in your power to keep them safe." She said grabbing Owen by the shoulders and making sure he knew how important this was.

Owen looked at Clara, "I will, I will keep them both safe." She relaxed and they turned their attention back to the children who were shrieking with laughter at the ride they were on.

* * *

"It is a lovely sound isn't it," Hetty's voice came pulling Granger from his memories.

"It truly is Hetty," Granger said and then decided to walk into the room.

Callen looked up as he heard someone coming in. He stopped laughing and ran to Granger and jumped into his arms.

"Are you having fun squirt?" Granger asked.

Callen smiled and nodded, "I…Play?" he looked at Granger to see if he got the word right.

Granger looked at the two other agents on the floor hastily trying to get themselves back to a dignified position. "Thank you for bringing him back," He said. Kensi and Deeks looked surprised at Grangers attitude.

"You're welcome." He said with a lopsided grin as he put Callen down beside him and ruffled his hair.

"I play more?" Callen asked hopefully. He liked this play... thing and he figured it wouldn't last but he wanted to do as much of it as he could.

"You had food?" Granger asked it was just past lunchtime.

Callen ran to the desks and grabbed the bag that Kensi had given him, "I still got!" he smiled excitedly.

"Good, good, ok then but stay here, do not run off." Granger said

* * *

Sam walked into the mission to find the bullpen empty and Kensi and Deeks on the floor playing cars with Callen. He walked over to them. Callen saw Sam and immediately froze.

Sam smiled "hey kid what ya doing?" He asked kindly.

Callen pulled the car he was playing with into his sleeve. He looked up at Sam and gulped. "I sorry, I clean now yes?" he asked putting the other cars away. He turned not noticing the look of sadness that crossed Sam's face. Sam sat on the sofa and caught Callen's arm. He needed to talk whatever was bothering G out with him. He patted the sofa and said, "Come, sit here we need to talk."

Deeks and Kensi had left to get coffee and Granger was nowhere in sight. Callen looked around in fear realizing he was alone.

"G…come on, sit here." Sam said again.

Callen's eyes darted but he realized he had no choice, he climbed shaking onto the couch and couldn't help but let out a small whimper as he scooted as far away from Sam as he could get.

"G, I don't want to and will never hurt you. I know you don't remember this but you are my best friend." Sam said.

Callen's eyes shot up and he stared at the man, "You my friend?" Callen asked.

"I know your favorite color is red, although you tell everyone its blue as you think red is a girls color." Sam reached behind him and pulled out a grape tootsie pop, "I also know these are your favorite Candy, although you don't eat them here and…." He handed Callen the sucker and took the paper and made a swan with the wrapper and handed it to him. "You love these." Callen took the small paper animal and looked at it critically.

He looked at Sam and raised an eyebrow, "It looks like a frog." He said quietly.

Sam laughed, "Yes…yes it does." He nodded.

Sam took another piece of paper and started folding again; he never said a word but glanced in Callen's direction once or twice. Callen slowly scooted closer looking at what Sam was doing; Sam put the finished origami shape on the table. Sam stood up, "You want some juice?" Sam asked. Callen nodded and relaxed a bit more as Sam walked into the kitchen. He moved over to the origami shape and turned it over in his hands totally focusing on the object.

"ce este?" Callen said to himself.

"Sorry?" Sam said walking in with his coffee and a juice for Callen.

Callen jumped but held it in. "What is it?" he asked.

Sam smiled and reached for a marker. "My daughter makes these; she says they are called fortune tellers."

Sam wrote numbers on the inside and drew colored dots on the outside and wrote the name of a toy or treat on the inside. "We are going to play a game."

Sam turned to him, "Pick a color." He said.

"Red…." Callen said suspiciously.

"R.E.D." Sam said moving the fortune teller. "O.K now pick a number."

Callen looked inside "Five." He said.

Sam moved the object five times, "Pick another number." He said.

Callen looked again, "Three?" he said thinking if Sam had asked him to pick again maybe he'd got it wrong the first time.

Sam moved it three times and said "Pick again."

"Two"

Sam opened up the flap, "chocolate bar." Sam smiled.

Callen looked warily at him, "Come on." Sam said and held his hand out.

Callen grabbed his hand and followed him. "This is the way you get one surprise a day," Sam said as he reached the vending machine and brought Callen a chocolate bar.

Taking the bar Callen went back to the sofa and Sam sat at the bullpen.

Callen watched Sam typing on the computer….he was rethinking his opinions…Yeah Sam was big and he was scary but, he had a kid and he was nice…maybe Sam was ok after all. He saw some paper and some colors on the table. Looking around no one was paying any attention to him so he slid off the sofa and climbed on the chair grabbed a piece of paper, Sam had made something for him… no one had ever made him anything before and he wanted to make Sam something.

He grabbed the colors and drew a Stick figure of Sam with a little girl and Sam was holding her hand and walking on a beach, he stared at the picture and drew himself in the corner with a bucket and spade watching them and waving. He finished the picture and put the colors back.

Waiting till Sam went upstairs Callen slipped over to his desk and slipped the picture on top of his paperwork.

Sam leant on the railing next to Hetty watching Callen.

"You know I think we're good." Sam said softly to her.

"I think so Mr. Hanna," Hetty replied with a smile as they watched Callen curl up tired on the sofa.

 


	8. Breakthrough

Chapter 8 – Breakthrough

Callen was still fast asleep on the sofa when everyone's attention was taken by a crash and a mouthful of expletives from the ops center.

Eric came out and was about to whistle when Sam waved at him and pointed to the sleeping boy. Eric nodded and gestured that Hetty should come as well. Sam nodded back and headed into her office. "Eric wants us." He said to Hetty and Granger.

A sleepy looking Nell was propped up against the table with a pile of paperwork.

"Nell, you ok?" Deeks asked never having seen the tech analyst so frazzled.

"Sleepy…" She said and took a swig of coffee from the sealed mug Hetty handed her. "Thank you."

She rubbed her eyes and stood looking at the group. "Ok as you know since Callen….shrunk? De-aged? Miniaturized?" She said sleepily.

"Miss Jones?" Hetty pulled her back.

Nell nodded gratefully, "Whatever, I've been trying to find out what caused this and how to fix it."

"Have you slept at all?" Sam asked.

Nell shot him a Duh! Look and carried on. "I've been talking to every scientist I've had access to there is only one scientist that can fix this apart from Grant Mason. But I can't get access to him. His name is Constantin Nicolai Lupescu, he's a scientist from Romania but that's all I can find out about him, all records on him cease after 1974."

"There's got to be something?" Sam said "Something...someone else?"

"Don't you think I've been looking! " Nell snapped. "I've done nothing but look unless you guys can find this scientist there's nothing I can do…I don't know how long this will last, no one I've talked to does and they all think it's hypothetical, although a few scientists said if it happened they wouldn't mind testing a subject….." She turned and put her hands on her hips and glared at Sam. "Do you want Callen to be poked and prodded as a test subject?" she snapped.

"Miss. Jones I suggest that Mr. Beale take you to get something to eat and some rest, we can start back on this tomorrow, I don't think you should be driving home." Hetty said Eric agreed with her and picked up his bag.

"Come on Nell, let's get you home." He said knowing that with a good meal and a good night's sleep his best friend would be running on all cylinders again.

* * *

Granger stormed out of the office and looked for somewhere to make a call.

Finding a quiet corridor he picked up the phone.

"It's me….If you had access to the equipment needed could you fix Callen?" he asked.

He waited as the voice on the other end admitted he could.

"Cons, I know it's dangerous for both of you but he can't stay like this…I will find you a safe space to work and you can do this?"

Granger nodded as the man on the other end talked.

"Ironic that you are the only person who can fix him…" Granger chuckled. "I'm taking him somewhere safe for tonight. Do you need blood or anything from him?" Granger waited, "Ok, but wouldn't your DNA do, its close enough?"

"Fine, I'll get his blood drawn…he's not going to like that he's worse than you are about needles…ok I'll drop it over." He said and hung up the phone.

By the time he had made it back to the bullpen Callen was sitting holding on to the small toy car he had not put away.

Hetty walked in and held out her hand, "Mr. Callen, you are to stay with me tonight."

Callen stood up and waited; He looked sadly at the toy car and put it with the others in the pile. He picked up the bag Kensi had given him and stared at his feet.

"Yes Ma'am." He mumbled.

"Er…Hetty, maybe he could come with me tonight?" Granger suggested.

Callen looked at Hetty hopefully, He liked her but he trusted Granger.

"Mr. Callen would you like to go with Mr. Granger?" she asked.

Callen nodded and brightened up considerably. Hetty smiled to herself at the irony, 24 hours ago little Callen was willing to kill Granger and 48 hours before that, Bigger Callen had been arguing with the man over whether or not he could be trusted.

Callen grabbed his bag and walked out of the mission following Granger.

* * *

The next morning a very sullen Callen and Granger walked into the mission.

"Sit there." Granger said handing Callen a comic book.,

Callen stared at Granger angrily curling himself into the corner of the couch as Granger went into see Hetty.

"How was your night Owen, is Mr. Callen well rested?"

"He didn't sleep too well he had nightmares." Granger admitted looking over at Callen, knowing full well the nightmare Callen was in a mood about was quite real.

Hetty walked over to the couch, "Mr. Callen I trust you slept well."

Callen eyes darted to Granger and he looked scared but nodded. "Yes, thank you."

Hetty held down a feeling of worry that started to gnaw inside her.

Hetty reached over and went to pat him on the arm and Callen flinched. Hetty sat herself on the couch next to the youngster. "Mr. Callen…did anything happen last night."

Callen looked at the floor ashamed. "Am avut un vis urat." He said quietly.

Hetty looked at him kindly, "Do you want to tell me about your bad dream?"

Callen scooted away from her, "He had Needles!" he breathed in fear.

"Who?" Hetty asked.

"The man with my eyes….He looked a long time at me and took my blood…" Callen couldn't help the tears that ran freely down "El a vorbit cu Granger, nu am place de el."

Hetty looked up, "Mr. Hanna would you stay with Mr. Callen please?" she asked getting off the couch and moving to her office.

Sam nodded and walked into the break area.

"Owen….A word." Hetty said menacingly.

Granger followed Hetty into her office. "Where did you take Mr. Callen last night?" Hetty asked.

"Home; He watched some TV and went to sleep." Granger said non-committally.

"Maybe you'd like to explain to me why Mr. Callen dreamt of a man with his eyes taking his blood?" She asked suspiciously.

Owen shrugged. "I have no idea why children get nightmares." He said.

* * *

There was a crash sound and Sam consoling Callen as he spilt a glass of milk Sam had given him.

"Never mind big guy, let's get you changed." Sam said as Hetty wondered over to see what the noise was.

Sam helped Callen get his sweatshirt over his head and over his casted arm.

Hetty breathed in at the bruising on Callen's torso that was getting lighter and focused on the large bruise in the crook of his arm, where it was obvious blood had been taken.

"Owen…?" Hetty said pointing at the bruise.

Owen took Hetty by the arm and led her into an alcove away from the others. "I took him to someone who can help…it's my job to help him whether he likes it or not."

"He's a child, you can't do that to him….wait, but….you knows where Constantin Lupescu is?"

"Its need to know Hetty; and for a good reason." Granger said.

"Can he help…? Will he help?" she asked.

"For Callen…he'll do anything." Granger said.

Hetty grabbed Granger's arm. "What are you not telling me?" She asked.

Granger looked at her sadly, "A lot Henrietta, but for Constantin's sake and for Callen's it needs to be like this."

Hetty turned to Granger as he started to leave.

"Callen said he had his eyes…."

 


	9. Experimentation and Surfing

Chapter 9 – Experimentation and Surfing

Constantin looked around the Lab, Granger had provided.

Keeping his son safe had cost him a lot over the years. He had lost his wife and a few years later his daughter had died. It was little comfort but at least she had died in an accident rather than a result of the decisions that He and Clara had made. Amelia Callen-Lupescu had died as a result of drowning; however he still had a small amount of guilt attached to it.

But his boy…he had the largest amount of guilt attached to his son.

A small accident as Callen was being taken out of the country had resulted in his losing his memory; the doctors had said it was traumatic, possibly as a result of him watching his mother die while Constantin had been trying to organize their escape. Granger had made it in time to grab Amy from the house, but by the time he'd made it to the beach for Callen and Clara he was too late. Callen had gone and Clara's body was being loaded into a coroners van. It had taken over six months for Constantin to locate his son and another three months before he'd alerted Granger to keep an eye on him. Finding out from Granger that Callen had no memory of his family had been a shock. However they had come to the conclusion that if he didn't know who he was he couldn't find his family and therefore would be kept safe.

He took the blood samples that he had and took some blood from his own arm. Looking through the list of chemicals that Grant Mason had used; he quickly discovered the ones that had mixed to cause the mutation; for that's what it was, a genetic mutation that had caused his son to regress over thirty years. He looked at the amount he had to do…he sighed, if this had been anyone else he would have been careful when trying to create the antidote, however this was his son. There was no way he was going to make a mistake with this. He took some of the original compound and although he hated testing on animals he injected some mice with the original compound to see what happened. He watched as the mice got sleepy and lay down in their cages to sleep.

Ten hours later the same mice were little pinkies in their cages. Constantin looked shocked. This was a scientific breakthrough however he could see how this could destabilize governments if this was introduced into the Senate or Congress. The whole government turning into children and what if the dosages were wrong and the victim was regressed beyond the moment of their birth. He sat with a mug of coffee gathering his thoughts before he got started.

He tacked up a photo he had taken of Callen last night as inspiration for his work.

* * *

Granger looked at Hetty….""Callen said he had his eyes…." She said to him

Granger realized that maybe it was time Hetty was read in. he looked over to see Callen sitting at his desk swinging his legs and coloring.

"Ok, but this is more than confidential." Granger said and took her into his office.

Hetty sat down at Owen's desk. "Very well, fill me in." She said.

"Constantin Lupescu is Callen's father…and my brother in law. Clara Callen Granger was my sister." He said watching as the shock passed Hetty's face, "Constantin is or rather was a scientist, the reason the Comescu's wanted them dead was not just because of our grandfather, they wanted Constantin to make them a bio-weapon. Knowing I was CIA, Con contacted me. I got Amelia out but I was too late to make it to the rendezvous point, Clara…Clara was dead by the time I got there, Gregori was gone. An Agent had gotten him out but they had an accident and Gregori forgot who he was, it was decided for safety's sake that we would give Child services the minimum of information and I would keep an eye on both him and Amelia."

"So what happened with Amy?" Hetty had to ask.

"You know what happened, it was the same night that Callen was being beaten by his third foster parent, he was nine years old and I had no idea that Amy was sneaking out with Hannah Lawson." Granger looked stricken and Hetty did feel for him. But the part of her that had watched out for Callen for years won through.

"Owen, you knew I was Clara's friend and handler with the CIA, why in Lord's name did you not tell me that you were her brother. You know that Mr. Callen has always been searching for his family, when he is restored to adulthood he will be pleased to know that he has family."

"No!" Granger stood up and stared down at Hetty.

Hetty looked confused.

"The Comescu's were not the only people trying to take advantage of Constantin, there are other people out there still trying to find him. If they ever discover that Callen is his son they may kill him or hurt him to get Constantin to make a bio-weapon that could kill millions. Con is not prepared to put him in harm's way."

"Don't you think that Callen deserves the chance to make that decision himself?"

"Not my decision to make." Granger said honestly.

Hetty looked at the man who had been her friend for years, "You're his uncle, you could tell him that…at least tell him his name."

Granger sighed, "One day maybe, I'd like to, but right now he hates me and maybe that's for the best."

"Well Owen, I think forcibly taking his blood yesterday was wrong, but I understand why you did it, however there is a six year old boy out there who trusts you because his mother told him a safe word and you knew it. You may not be able to be his uncle while he's an adult, but maybe you could…just for a while, while he's a child."

Granger shrugged, "We will see Henrietta." He said and they both headed to the bullpen.

* * *

Callen looked up and saw Granger, his face moved between trust, distrust and fear.

Granger crouched down near his nephew. "Callen, have you been having fun?" he asked.

"I…yes…I didn't mean too!" he said just in case.

"It's ok to have fun son." Granger said.

Callen shrugged non-committally.

Granger was cut off by the sounds of Kensi and Deeks arriving in the bullpen with a large hamper and a big bag of stuff.

"What's going on?" Granger asked.

Hetty walked over, "You did say that the search for an antidote was in hand, we have no pending cases right now so I have arranged with Director Vance that barring any emergency the whole team has the day off, we are going to the beach."

Callen looked up the tension level in the room had risen and he'd picked up on it.

"Hey kid!" Deeks said smiling as Eric and Nell joined them.

Callen eyed Eric suspiciously.

"You ready to go?" Eric asked.

Callen looked sad, He knew it was too good to last and it was now time to move on he never said a word, just grabbed his bag and walked to the door.

"Oh you won't need that!" Kensi smiled knowing that she had everything he needed.

For a second as the bad was taken he looked totally stricken and Kensi did a double take. "Hey, you'll get it back…you know that?"

Callen whispered something and Kensi bent down, "What was that."

"Will I see you again?" He asked, "I like you."

Kensi looked confused, "Yeah…I'm coming too."

Callen brow furrowed as he looked at her, "Were you bad too?" he asked.

"Bad….what….?" Kensi looked at the others for clarification and everyone had stopped and was looking as blank as she was,

Callen raised his arm and pointed at Eric, "He says I go now…so I been bad." He stated sadly.

Kensi pulled him into a hug, "No…You've been very good, we are off to the beach, and Deeks and Eric want to teach you to surf."

Totally confused but happy Callen wasn't being sent away again he shrugged "Ok."

* * *

Owen and Hetty sat at a nearby Café keeping an eye on their charges as the team and Callen headed down to the beach.

Callen dressed in a small wetsuit was stunned as he was given a small surfboard by Deeks and Eric.

"We thought you'd like this." Eric said

Callen looked at it thoughtfully; he walked around it and ran his hand over the board. Biting his bottom lip in concentration he looked at the two men. "What does it do?" he asked not wanting to sound ungrateful.

"It's a surf board….you surf with it?" Deeks said pointing to the other surfers in the ocean.

Callen's eyes grew wide, "I…I try that?" he asked amazed at the look of freedom and peace on the other surfers faces.

Eric nodded, "We'll teach you the basics and then take you in."

Kensi and Nell set up the picnic whilst Eric and Deeks with Sam close by for supervision taught Callen the basics of surfing.

Two hours later a laughing and thoroughly exhausted Callen came running up to Nell and Kensi carefully placing his surfboard nearby he flopped onto the picnic blanket.

"Did you see me? I surfed! It was sooooooo cool" He grinned.

Kensi laughed, "They said you'd love it."

"It's like flying!" Callen said taking a bite out of a sandwich.

Granger turned to Hetty in the Café "Thank you for this, he needed to have this and I think….so did I, it's nice to think until his father can fix this he can have a happy time."

Hetty watching the interaction nodded, "It's about time." She said watching Callen run around on the beach with the team playing Tag whooping and hollering with laughter as he went.

"And it's nice that he finally has a nice beach memory." Granger said sadly.

 


	10. Callen gets a shot.

Chapter 10 – Callen gets a shot.

After an exhausting but happy day the team returned to the mission to drop things off and pick their stuff up before heading home for the day.

On entering the mission Grangers phone rang.

"Granger….already? Are you sure? Ok I'll bring him and Hetty…..yes, she knows…ok" he hung up and walked over to Hetty, "I need you to come with me." He said "Con thinks he has a cure."

Hetty nodded and went to get Callen.

"I'll take him tonight Hetty." Sam said.

"Not tonight Mr. Hanna, Mr. Callen has a visit to make." Hetty said, "We may have a cure."

Sam looked on his guard, "Who….Have you check this guy out…do you trust him with G?" Sam asked concerned.

"Oh Mr. Hanna, this man….Yes, I know he wants no harm to come to Mr. Callen." Hetty said.

Although Sam was still concerned he trusted Hetty and moved to let her take the boy.

Callen stood with his bag, "You'll come with me and Mr. Granger tonight." She said, not caring where he slept Callen nodded.

A few hours later and Callen stood in front of a small Laboratory on an industrial estate.

Hetty waited as Granger opened the door, "Come on Mr. Callen."

Walking into the lab scared him, it was all white and it smelled funny. Callen bit his lip rather than start crying. He grasped Hetty hand a bit tighter than before and she looked at him. "Mr. Callen, it's alright, we are going to see a man who is going to help make you better." She said with a smile.

"I'm not sick!" Callen protested.

He wasn't sick, his arm ached but that was all he hadn't knocked it today at all, even with the surfing lessons he was careful.

"It's alright, you trust me Mr. Callen, and I will not let anyone hurt you." Hetty said looking over at Granger and hoping whatever the boy's father had in mind wasn't going to hurt.

Granger typed a code on a keypad and the door opened.

"Con?" he called.

"Over here….have you brought him it's ready." Constantin asked from the other side of the room.

As he turned Hetty gasped, it seemed to her that she was now looking at an older version of Callen. Constantin looked warily at the woman then he nodded.

"You must be Henrietta Lange…Clara told me so much about you."

"I'm afraid until yesterday I had no knowledge of you Mr. Lupescu."

Constantin smiled, yet another trait Callen had inherited Hetty thought as the man turned to his son.

"Ok, G….I am called Constantin, you may call me Con, I am a friend of your mothers and I'm here to help you."

Called looked at him, "How do I…..știu dacă pot încredere în tine"

"You know you can trust me because I know you…you momma told me that the white dove would always keep you safe and that she and Tata would always love their puțin razboinic"

Callen looked at the man with tears in his eyes, "Tata?"

Constantin nodded, "You will not remember meeting me but always know your momma and I loved you and you are precious." He said hugging his son.

Callen didn't want to let go as Constantin pulled back. "Tata!" he cried, as Granger pulled him off to sit on the table.

Constantin kissed his son's head and administered the shot.

"NO!" Callen cried; He didn't want to be made better if it meant forgetting again.

Callen sobbed as Constantin held him until his sobs died out and he fell asleep.

"The sedatives should keep him knocked out for twelve hours. Let me know how he is after then, hopefully, he should be back to normal."

Granger carried Callen back to the car.

"Constantin, you could still be a part of his life, come with us be there when he wakes." Hetty pleaded she knew how much this would mean to Callen to have one member of his family in his life.

"It is alas still not safe for him, I keep watch Henrietta and one day, I will contact him or if I do not make it to that day Owen has some information for my son about his family. I do love him…more than my life, but if someone found him and used my relationship with him to create a weapon…."Constantin shook his head, "We barely escaped last time….Clara did not….No Henrietta for the sake of my family, this is best." He said.

Hetty nodded and turned to go, "Call me with the results…please….and please…..take care of him, he is my life." Constantin said as the door closed.

With a heavy heart Hetty headed to the car.

* * *

The next morning she awoke, got dressed and headed to her kitchen to find Granger already pouring the water into her teapot.

"Have you checked on him?" Hetty asked.

"Not yet I thought I'd wait for you." Granger replied drinking his coffee.

Hetty nodded and they both headed for the guest room,

Opening the door they noticed that the lump under the covers had grown and a somewhat larger foot stuck out at the end. The small red plaster cast was cracked and on the floor and a figure moved slightly.

Hetty knocked on the door and waited.

The figure in the bed moved and….. "Oh…Shit!" a voice came, "Erm…Come in?"

Callen sat up and pulled the blankets around him.

Biting his lip he looked at the man and woman standing in the doorway….."Erm…Hi?" he said with a cocky smirk on his face, "I think I lost my clothes." he grinned embarrassed.

He had no idea who these people were or how he had ended up in this room naked under a duvet. He thought about running, what if this was their daughter's room.

"Mr. Callen, I see you're awake." Hetty said smiling.

Callen looked her up and down… "Okay….Erm yeah." He rubbed his head…no bruise….he looked under the duvet, no new bruising so these people hadn't hurt him and he'd obviously slept well so they must be ok.

"Do you wish to come down for breakfast?" Hetty asked.

His stomach rumbled….. "I'm fine." He said not knowing what to do, he needed to get his bearings fast he hated being at a disadvantage.

"Mrs.….?" He asked.

Hetty looked at him and realized he didn't know her, "Lange, Miss Lange. This is Mr. Granger." She said pointing to Owen.

"Erm….I know my last family probably didn't let me keep whatever they gave me but I at least came in some clothes….right?" he said. He didn't get it; he was totally naked and didn't even have his shoes on.

The one thing he had learnt in foster care was if you wanna keep it wear it, he never slept without his shoes what on earth could have happened to him to make him lose them.

"Just wait there I will find them," she replied and closed the door on a bewildered teenaged Callen.

* * *

"Oh bugger!" she said quietly looking at Granger

"I'll call Constantin and tell him, he'll have to look at the dosage again, you had better call Sam and fill in the team."

Hetty nodded and walked to a closet and took out jeans a t-shirt, boots, socks and boxers all in Callen's size.

Granger cocked an eyebrow, "Should I ask how come you have a teenage boy's clothes in your home Hetty,"

Hetty stared at him back, "Did you not follow all of Mr. Callen's foster homes in the 1980's?" She asked.

"Only till '83, I was shipped out with the CIA in '84-'87" Granger said.

"I had Mr. Callen here for three months in 1985, I too kept an eye on him growing up and they couldn't find a place for him after one of his foster brothers was murdered so he came to me. Unfortunately circumstances were that I was unable to keep him, However knowing that our paths would cross I kept some things which now seem to have come in handy."

She pulled out the box marked G. Callen '85.

She put the clothing and a few other things into a bag and took them to his room along with a wash kit and new towels.

Callen pulled up the duvet as the woman…Miss Lange walked in.

"Mr. Callen, here is your bag and a wash kit and Towels, the bathroom is the door to your right, use it and I will see you in the kitchen in 15 minutes." She said.

Callen nodded and as soon as she shut the door he ran to the bathroom. He still had no idea where he was but he knew one thing that little lady meant business and he wasn't messing with her.

Less than 15 minutes later washed and dressed with his shoes in his hand he skidded along the wooden floor as he slid past the door to her kitchen.

Granger looked up from his plate and raised an eyebrow hiding a smirk.

Callen sat at the table as directed as Hetty put down a plate of bacon and eggs for him.

"Eat." She said simply and returned to her tea.

Checking the duo out Callen carefully ate his food, tasting each bit before he decided it was safe and then swallowing.

Halfway through; he decided, he should come clean.

"Erm… Ma'am?" he said quietly in case she blew up at him for talking at the table.

Hetty merely raised an eyebrow, "You have a question Mr. Callen."

"Erm…yeah, when did I come here and when am I leaving?"

"You came late last night, you were unwell and your clothes needed to be dealt with." She looked at his arm and then watched as Callen ran a mental inventory of his bones.

He shrugged, everything felt ok.

"We will have to leave soon; you will accompany me to work." Hetty told him, "Mr. Granger will be there as well, I expect you to be on your best behavior" she said remembering how he was last time he was fifteen.

* * *

Sitting in the back of the car Callen watched everything that went on around him, barely giving any indication he was watching, Granger noted with some satisfaction the traits that Callen would later come to rely upon in his works.

They pulled up outside the mission and Callen looked at the building, "Condemned?" He asked noticing the sign on the door.

"Only on the outside Mr. Callen, now behave in here." Hetty reminded him.

Callen was already on edge as he knew lots of people were inside. He didn't trust people and they didn't trust him and he was fine with that.

Walking inside he saw the hustle and bustle of a busy workplace.

No one paid him any attention which he was happy with. Granger had already called and briefed the team. Hetty in her infinite wisdom had also placed a phone call.

Nate stood at the top of the balcony watching the teenager enter getting a read on him. Hetty had hoped that having Callen this age he may be able to talk to Nate and let him in on a few things that the adult Callen wouldn't.

Deeks, Kensi and Sam looked up as the party arrived.

They tried to keep a straight face but none of them managed to successfully hide their shock at the sight of a longer haired teenage Callen.

"What!" Callen said looking at them suspiciously. He turned to Hetty, "Miss L. Are you a cop?"

"This Mr. Callen is a Federal Agency and I expect you to conduct yourself accordingly." Hetty admonished him.

"Yes ma'am." He mumbled.

Callen followed Hetty as the others looked after her.

Sam turned to Kensi and Deeks. "Wow!" he said shocked at the sight of his partner as a teenager.

"Some undercover unit we are if he can pick us out as cops as soon as he walks into a room." Kensi said stunned.

They all turned as they heard a shout.

"NO! NO WAY…YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!" Callen backed out of Hetty's office shaking his head.

"Mr. Callen, this is not a negotiation." Hetty said sternly.

"NO! Listen lady, I don't care what the last asshole that had me, did to me, there is no way in HELL I'm talking to a shrink!"

Nate walked up behind them and put a hand on Callen's shoulder.

"GET OFF CREEP!" Callen yelled twisting out from under Nate's hand and running for the door.

"Callen wait!" Nate yelled.

But with a loud slam….Callen was gone.

 


	11. Past Repeat

Chapter 11 – Past Repeat.

Callen walked into Hetty's office to see a tall skinny guy leaning back on a chair in the corner.

"Hi Callen, I'm Nate," He said with a smile.

Callen looked at Hetty uneasy, this guy didn't look like a cop but he had a vibe that set Callen's teeth on edge he looked over at Hetty for reassurance, but didn't like the look she gave him either.

"Mr. Callen, this is Mr. Getz he is our clinical psychologist. I would like you to go and talk to him,"

"No." Callen said flatly.

"Mr. Callen, I know you have been through a lot with some of your past foster placements and maybe now would be the time for you to talk about it."

"NO! NO WAY…YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!" he yelled at them both. He knew it had been too good to be true to let his guard down with these people he backed away out of the office.

""Mr. Callen, this is not a negotiation." Hetty said to him, "You need to talk about it,"

"NO! Listen lady, I don't care what the last asshole that had me, did to me, there is no way in HELL I'm talking to a shrink!"

Nate walked up behind him; he hated Callen looking so scared. Not thinking and wanting to comfort his friend he placed his hand on his shoulder.

Callen leapt his fight or flight instinct kicking in, "GET OFF CREEP!" he twisted out from under Nate's grip grabbed his bag and ran for the door, not caring that the other people in the building were looking shocked by his display of temper.

Tears running down his face Callen left the mission.

There was no way he was going to talk to anyone about his previous placements, especially his last one. Jason had died as his last one saving his life…Jason had had a family a little brother and a mother who cared, Jason shouldn't have died. He was the expendable one, the one that no one cared about he should have died not Jason especially not doing something as stupid as saving his worthless life.

So he did what he knew how to do best… he ran.

Automatically he headed towards the Ocean. He had no idea how he knew which way to go, but he ran anyway. This day had been way too crazy, waking up in a strange room was a pretty much everyday occurrence for him, but waking up naked….he NEVER let his guard down like that. He NEVER left himself that exposed. Then that woman had insisted he go with her…he was staying in a 'cops' house…..why? What the hell had happened to him? Maybe he'd been drugged again, that date rape drug…..rohip….something or other, it wouldn't have been the first time, and some foster parents were weird.

He sagged against a wall watching the traffic go by and headed for an underpass where a group of men were hanging out by a brazier, He walked by them trying to keep a low profile.

"Hey cutie!" a dirty looking homeless man called to him, "Wanna keep us company?"

Callen swallowed the bile in his throat clutched his bag tighter and carried on walking keeping to the shadows as much as he could suppressing the shudder that threatened to overwhelm him.

* * *

Sam stormed into Hetty's office "What the hell just happened?" He said upset at seeing his partner that scared.

Hetty stood her ground.

"Mr. Hanna, Mr. Callen's age is fifteen, the antidote only worked halfway, from what I know of his history, this is a traumatic time in his life." She said.

"Like the rest of it was so peachy." Sam snapped.

Hetty nodded her agreement, "Yes, but there was another large traumatic event happened around this age, I knew about it and I know that Mr. Callen wasn't given help at the time, I had hoped that maybe with him being younger again, we could help him"

"And how did that work for you?" Sam said, "Sorry Hetty, but with all he's been through, you know how he feels about shrinks."

Granger walked back in, "Hetty, he's not there." He said concerned.

"Let's see if Mr. Beale can find him." Hetty said not wanting to panic yet.

"Fine….if we can't find him…you're calling." Granger said, Sam looked confused but followed with a nod to Kensi and Deeks to follow also.

Granger's phone rang, "It's him." He said quietly to Hetty and went to take the call.

* * *

They walked into the darkened arena of ops. Eric and Nell were hard at work as they came in.

Nell looked around confused. "Do we have an active case?" she asked.

"No, I need you to access the cameras from outside the building, Mr. Callen has run away I need you to find him and send his co-ordinates to Mr. Hanna, Ms Blye and Mr. Deeks' phones they will pick him up."

Nell started typing away as did Eric.

Fleeting Images of Callen started appearing on the monitor, He looked totally dejected, the camera caught him resting and wiping his eyes grabbing a bottle of water from his bag where he had surreptitiously stowed it during breakfast that morning drinking small sips, grabbing a marker pen drawing a line on the bottle and putting it back in his bag.

"What's the line for?" Kensi asked.

"Safety…You can see if anything has been added to your drink or if anyone has taken any." Deeks said absently remembering his own time in foster care.

Granger walked into ops, "Have we found him….He needs to get another shot in 72 hours." He said to Hetty.

Deeks' phone rang and he looked at it annoyed. "Hang on its Jack Michaels'."

He answered the phone and paled. "Are you sure it's him?" he asked. "Get them to back off. We're on our way."

He put the phone down. "LAPD say they have Callen's kid, he's got a gun and he's possibly on drugs and halfway up a cliff!" he exclaimed stunned. "And he's got a gun!"

"No way!" Sam said.

Hetty nodded sadly, "It seems that history is repeating itself." She said.

"No! Hetty! G wouldn't do drugs he hates needles." Sam said standing his ground.

Hetty looked at them, "In 1985 Mr. Callen was in a bad foster home, a boy staying with him was killed while trying to protect him, Mr. Callen didn't take it well and he got addicted to heroin for a time. When I took him in he was addicted and he did his rehab whilst staying with me. Coming off the drugs was painful and it is the reason why he now hates needles and hospitals, it was a tough time for him and the reason why I had hoped that he would talk to Mr. Getz,"

Sam looked contrite "I didn't know."

"None of you did, but now you know where he's coming from I suggest you guys take Mr. Getz and bring him home. Hetty said her fear for Callen's safety gnawing at her.

* * *

Callen had made it to the waterfront when the first of the flashbacks hit him. Jason's face as the light left his eyes the confusion on his face as he died, making Callen stop and retch into the gutter.

He leant against a wall and started sobbing not caring who was watching.

"Hey kid, you alright." A man asked.

Callen looked up warily, "What d'you care." He snarled.

"Hey, just I got some stuff if you want." He said, "You got money?"

Callen looked through his bag, there was money in there, fifty dollars, "This enough?" he asked.

The man smiled and gave Callen a bag, "You know how to use this?" he asked. Callen nodded he took the bag, "Now, how's about you give me that and my money back," Callen said producing a gun he had swiped from one of the desks from his waistband.

The man shook and spread his arms in supplication, "Ok man…take it." He said backing away. The man watched as Callen pocketed the drug and walked off, following at a distance.

As soon as Callen let his guard down the man jumped him, beating him up and running off with his wallet as he heard "Hey you!" from an LAPD patrolman.

Callen looked up and saw the policeman, He thought he recognized him.

Jack Michaels' looked at the kid running away, he reminded him of a young kid he'd befriended years ago, worried he followed him.

Callen went into a public restroom and came out looking shaky.

Keeping a discrete distance Jack followed him not panicking until Callen came to the cliffs and climbed around the edge. He climbed halfway up the cliff to a small ledge.

Looking up he saw what looked like a gun.

That was it, he had no idea what was going on with this kid, but he looked a lot like a kid called Callen and he remembered Deeks saying he worked with him so he made a phone call.

"Deeks it's Jack…..That guy you work with Callen, does he have a kid? Got one looks just like he did when he was a kid, thing is, I think he's on drugs, he's halfway up a cliff and he has a gun, you need to get his dad down here and sort him out." Jack listened as Deeks told him he was coming.

* * *

Ten minutes later the team turned up and walked over to where Jack was.

"Where is he?" Sam asked.

Jack pointed to halfway up the cliff. He's been there for an hour, he shot up once while there, poor kid looks distraught, I've tried talking to him, is he Callen's kid, he looks so much like him. He says he shouldn't be here, he should be dead. The kid needs help; look Callen's a good guy and all but tell him he has to help his kid." Jack said shaking his head sadly.

"Thanks Jack, I've got it." Deeks said

Deeks walked up to the base off the cliff.

"Hey, G…you wanna talk? Deeks asked.

"No…" Callen snapped.

"I wanna talk, will you come down here so I can." Deeks asked.

"I can see the whole world from up here…" Callen said, "And do you know what….in the whole of the world there isn't a single person who cares if I live or die." Callen laughed turning the gun around in his hand. "All they will do is close my file and put it in a filing cabinet and not one single person would notice."

"I would notice." Deeks said.

"You don't even know me…I'm just a throwaway kid, my family didn't want me they chucked me in the system, couldn't even give me a name. I'm fifteen and no one has ever bothered to tell me what my name is…I may be the only person in history to be so worthless I don't even merit that."

Deeks had climbed a bit further up and was now level with Callen. Scared Callen turned the gun on Deeks; Kensi inhaled a breath as Deeks just plopped down on the ledge besides Callen.

"Maybe you're better off." Deeks said staring at the ocean.

Callen looked at him. "What?"

"You don't know who your family is…maybe one day you'll get a good family. My dad was abusive, used to beat me every day just because he could reach me…I thought about doing that once or twice," Deeks said indicating the gun with a casual wave of his hand.

Callen looked up interested.

"So what happened?"

"I met a cop…a good one who took me in, his wife was a lawyer and they taught me that I could make a difference to other people, My being here could be important to someone else; Even if I had no one who cares for me."

Callen looked at him, "Really?"

Deeks grinned, "Yep, you know I reckon you could be a federal agent when you grow up and I bet you'd be an awesome one,"

Callen thought about it, "Yeah but who'd want me as a fed, I'm a junkie." He whispered.

"Nope that's just who you are today, not who you are tomorrow, you wanna come with me and be something better, I know about Jason…let his death be worth something, live your life in his memory."

Slowly Callen handed Deeks his gun and sobbed, Deeks put his arms about the boy's shoulders, "Talk to Nate, he will help and he won't tell anyone." Deeks suggested.

Callen wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "Will you…would you stay with me?" He asked quietly.

"All the way pal…All the way." Deeks promised as they slowly climbed down together.

 


	12. Secrets and Lies

Chapter 12 - Secrets and lies

Cold, wet shaking and thoroughly dejected Callen followed Deeks into the mission.

Deeks walked with him up to Nate's office and knocked on the door he noticed that Callen was shaking out of fear more than anything else. They walked in Nate and Hetty were sitting on sofas in the room, "Here, Mr. Callen." Hetty said and handed him a hot chocolate.

"Thanks" Callen mumbled standing closer to Deeks.

"Do you want to sit down?" Nate asked.

Callen shot a look to Deeks, "Can….can he stay?" he asked.

"Sure, would you like Hetty to stay?" Nate asked. He had already had a conversation with Hetty she had asked to stay but he'd said he would only allow it if Callen said yes….Kid or not he had rights."

"Am I going to be staying with you for now?" Callen asked.

Hetty nodded, "Yes."

"Then, No." He replied curtly. If he was going to talk the last thing he wanted was the person looking after him seeing him as weak.

Hetty nodded, "Mr. Deeks will bring you to my office when you are finished."

Callen let a small shudder escape as a wave of pain shot through him. Deeks handed him a bottle of water and a pen. "There you go."

Callen looked at him, "You were in care?"

Deeks nodded, "Yep told you I understood."

Gratefully Callen took the water and marked his first line. Nate looked at them both, "Guy's what's with the pen?"

"Safety," Both Callen and Deeks said at the same time. Callen shot Deeks a smile.

"Jinx you owe me a soda." He quipped.

Deeks smiled "back you can collect later on."

* * *

Nate sat back and watched as Callen slowly after checking the exits and the room with his eyes for danger relaxed back into the couch.

"You wanna talk about what happened earlier?" Nate asked.

"No, I'm fine." Callen said automatically.

Nate gave a small grin, "Ok so when you're fine you shoot up, climb up a cliff and threaten to kill yourself?"

"I just wanted to get away." Callen said looking intently at his hands which were shaking a bit and he tucked them under his arms to hide it.

"From?"

Callen looked away, "Me…I….He…I didn't mean for him to die….it should have been me…he had people who cared, he had a family."

"You have people who care Callen." Nate said.

"Who?" Callen asked looking up for the first time.

"Everyone here cares about you." Nate said

"You don't know me!" Callen said.

"We do know, we know about Jason and what your foster father did." Nate said gently.

Callen jumped up, "You have no idea what he did….what he made me…" tears started falling and Callen stared out of the window desperately willing them to go away, unfortunately the drug in his system was pulling his barriers down. "I'm no one and I'll always stay that way, I just wanted someone to really care, because they wanted too, not because it looked good or the paycheck was right. Deeks had good foster parents he told me; he's a nice guy…what's wrong with me?" Callen asked.

He turned and looked at Nate and for once Nate finally saw the core anguish that Callen always carried around with him.

"There's nothing wrong with you circumstances left you on your own, that's not your fault." Nate told him.

* * *

Callen sat on the couch drawing his knees to his chest and hugging them. "Yeah, right. My family love me so much they take me to a beach and leave me there, So, That file of yours," Callen waved his hand towards it, "You know so much about me, do YOU know my name…no one else does, I'm not important enough for a name." Callen put his head on his knees so Nate couldn't see his face, "I'm just a reject." He mumbled into his knees.

"Is this why you do drugs?" Nate asked.

"Didn't want to," Callen replied, "My last foster father, Matt…he shot me up to shut me up,"

Nate looked surprised this wasn't in his file.

"He said it made us more compliant, Jason found out what he was doing and he tried to protect me coz he was older, I told him not to bother…not to do it….not worth it." Callen started sobbing into his knees, all Nate could see was his body shaking.

"G…" Nate went to put a hand on Callen and stopped. "G, you need to stop using, I'm going to give Hetty information about getting you help with rehab. You do have a bright future ahead of you. I know things will get better."

"Really?" Callen asked wiping his eyes and looking at the two men in the room, "Do….do you think someone will adopt me?" It was Nate realized the one wish Callen had held onto through all these years.

"I can honestly say that one day Callen, you will find a family." He told the teenager. "Callen, as you know this session is confidential; do you want me to pass the information on about your foster father to the authorities?" Nate asked.

Callen nodded, "I'll need his name." Nate pushed

"Matthew Oliver…I know I'm staying with Miss Lange now, but when you tell her, I know you have too, and she wants me to move on…can you tell her it's ok, I don't blame her." He pulled back into himself again, "We done…I have things to do."

Nate nodded. "Yes, please though…stay in the building."

* * *

"We are off to get ice cream." Deeks said, "I stashed some in the break room yesterday." He grinned as Callen looked up surprised.

"You wanna share with me?" he asked.

"Yep, heard you were coming." Deeks said.

Callen smiled, "You got chocolate?" he asked.

"Yep and fudge sauce and soda's for floats." Deeks smiled as Callen's grin grew wider. Nate thought he saw something behind his eyes but said nothing he nodded and Callen and Deeks left.

* * *

Hetty and Granger walked in, "Can you tell us anything Nate?" She asked concerned.

"Callen obviously has identity issues and self esteem issues. His drug use was not self inflicted, it started as a result of his foster Carer Matthew Oliver dosing up the children in his care. Callen said something about keeping the children in his care compliant."

Hetty bristled, "I knew about his drug use the last time, but no one knew it wasn't self inflicted, I had always hoped Mr. Callen hadn't done it to himself. It took a month to get him clean last time." She said sadly.

Granger turned to her, "I talked to the scientist, he has a rapid detox program he developed last time this happened in case he relapsed, we can give it to him in his meal tonight and hopefully he'll be ready for his next shot and we will have our Callen back."

"Hetty, did anyone go after Oliver for what he did?" Nate asked.

"No, by the time we figured out that Oliver had been hurting kids, he went missing and his house burned down. It was just after Mr. Callen finished his rehab with me and was moved to a new home." She told them, "I kept an ear to the ground but no one ever heard from him again."

* * *

Callen leaned against the wall as Deeks got out some sodas and ice cream.

"You feeling better now?" Deeks asked.

"Sure, I mean they'll never send me back to him will they?" Callen asked.

"Nope, you should probably stay with Hetty now." Deeks said. Not really sure if that was what was going to happen.

Callen noted Deeks' shift in body language. His instinct screamed at him after all the man had said he was lying now. Callen's fists clenched, they were going to send him back, he mentally groaned, 'they caught you using….of course they are going to send you back' he shivered as he remembered what Oliver was like and what was waiting for him when he got back there.

There was no way he was going to eat ice cream now when all he wanted was to vomit.

He looked completely calm but like a swan on the water, what was going on under the surface belied the calm on top. He had passed panic mode and had gone into full blown paranoia.

"Erm….Bathroom?" He asked looking around,

"Down the hall near the main door second on ya right." Deeks said his head in the icebox.

* * *

Callen walked calmly through the bullpen and saw a set of car keys on a desk pocketed them and kept walking. He walked into the bathroom and looked at the windows, with a small amount of wriggling he made it through to a concealed parking lot in the center of the building. Ducking down he waited as two agents walked past him. He looked at the tag on the keyring it had a license plate on it, walking up to a blue dodge charger he tried the key fob and grinned as the door opened.

"Nice!" he smiled. He knew he wasn't thinking entirely clearly but, if they couldn't find Matthew Oliver…they couldn't send him back there.

With a loud peel of rubber he drove out of the parking lot.

The two agents who had passed earlier turned round.

"One day, Agent Hanna is going to crash that car….Hetty's so going to take it out of his paycheck." The other agent laughed and they headed to the mission.


	13. Run Away

Chapter 13 - Run Away!

Callen couldn't believe it. He was driving down the PCH in a cool car, the wind in his hair and he was free.

He knew it couldn't last and eventually he'd have to ditch the car but there was no way he was going back to those people, they were crazy. That little woman who looked at him like her heart was breaking every time he said something, the older guy who, well…in fact everyone there kept looking at him weird, and acting like they knew him. He'd only met them yesterday, there was no way…ok, he wasn't that freaked that he'd willingly go back to Oliver's but he wasn't staying there. Every self preservation instinct he had told him to get away. It wasn't the first time in his life he'd been homeless and it probably wouldn't be his last.

He slowed the car a little as he saw a patrol car parked up on the edge of the highway, he held his breath as he saw the two officers point at his car and carried on driving, one picked up the radio but they never followed him.

Eventually he found a secluded beach and pulled the car up. He couldn't drive anymore; his body was craving another hit. But he had no drugs and knew he needed to kick it. He wrapped his arms around himself and sank to the floor by the car wheel, watching the waves lap against the shoreline. No matter what happened in his life the beach had been a constant thing it had always been a place to calm his soul.

He closed his eyes as a wave of pain and nausea overtook him and he held himself tighter and shook uncontrollably, wishing he had someone; anyone to hold him and tell him it would all be ok.

* * *

Deeks looked at the bowl of rapidly melting ice cream and realized that Callen wasn't back. He walked out of the break room and looked in the bullpen.

"Hey has anyone seen Callen?" He asked.

Kensi and Sam shook their heads; they had been sparring in the Gym… "Na but when you do send him my way he might like to work out with us." Sam said thinking of a way for G to use up all that teenage nervous energy he had.

Two agents walked into the building and one stopped and looked at Sam strangely.

"You got a problem?" Sam snarled.

"No sorry, it's just I could have sworn we just saw you peeling out of the parking lot in the challenger?" The agent said.

Sam looked at him and put two and two together.

"Shit! Hetty!" He called and ran over to her office, "I think Callen's stolen my car and run away."

"I thought he was with Mr. Deeks?" Hetty asked.

Deeks walked over, "He asked to use the bathroom and left." He admitted.

"What did you say to him?" Sam yelled worried for his teenage partner.

"Nothing we were making ice cream and he asked me if he was going back with Hetty, I wasn't sure but I said yes, then he asked to use the bathroom and that was the last I saw of him."

Hetty looked at Deeks' body language and noticed what Callen had seen, Deeks hadn't known for sure where Callen was sleeping that night and the fact he didn't know showed up as clear to her as it had to Callen.

"Oh bugger!" She snapped.

"What?" Deeks asked concerned he'd done something wrong.

Hetty turned to Sam, "Mr. Hanna, go to OPS get Eric to put a BOLO out on your car and then get him to see if he can find it on any traffic camera's" She instructed, "Mr. Deeks a word."

* * *

Deeks sat in Hetty office worried he was about to get into real trouble.

"Mr. Deeks, I know you were fostered at eleven, can I ask you how many times you were fostered." Hetty started.

Deeks shrugged, "Just the once, after the initial assessment period, three times during it why?"

"Were all your placements successful?"

"Pretty much, twice I had to move due to overcrowding the last time it was because I got a permanent placement with the Deeks'" Deeks told her.

Hetty handed him a cup of tea.

"Mr. Callen had 37 homes between the ages of five and 18. The longest placement he had was a month the shortest a few hours." Deeks sat there silently doing the math…

"That doesn't add up?" He said, thinking about it Callen had to have been in more placements than that.

Hetty nodded, "It doesn't take into account the times he ran away and the months he spent on the streets."

"Why...Why would he do that?" Deeks asked; he couldn't fathom the idea of someone leaving a safe foster care environment and living on the streets. After all for him a foster home had been better than living with his abusive father.

"Callen's foster homes were not all as nurturing as yours, he became an expert in telling within minutes of entering a home whether or not it was for him a safe environment, a few of his homes were good, the Rostov's for one, he stayed with them for just over a month and he was with me for a month as well," She admitted.

Deeks looked shocked.

"The point is if you lie to him he can tell, in his mind you either tell the truth and things are safe or you lie and it's not. Your indecision about where he was to go this evening must have to him seemed like you were lying, in his mind he's just left one of the worst foster homes he ever stayed in and added to that the paranoia due to the drugs in his system you have one very scared teenager."

"I didn't know, I knew we had both been in the system, but I never knew exactly how bad it was for him."

Hetty smiled at Deeks who looked utterly mortified by what he had inadvertently done.

"I honestly don't think anyone knows." Hetty said.

* * *

"We've got him!" Sam called to Deeks as he jogged down the stairs, he was annoyed he was going to have to ride with Kensi and Deeks but to get back his partner and his car….it was worth it.

"The car is at Crystal Cove…just North of Laguna Beach; It should take us a couple of hours to get there," Sam told him as he walked to the car.

"Not the way Kensi drives…" Deeks muttered under his breath and yelped as Kensi walked behind him and thumped him in the arm.

"You're riding in the back for that." She snapped.

"Oh…wait…no…Fern!" he protested trying to beat Sam to the passenger seat. But Sam got there first and merely grinned at the man,

"Come on Shaggy in the back." Sam said.

Kensi did up her seatbelt and grinned over at him, "Good Dog."

Deeks rolled his eyes and sat back as they headed to where Callen had last been seen.

* * *

The pain was overwhelming he had cramp in every muscle of his body.

He knew from experience it would subside but until then he couldn't move, he had opened the back window of the car so he could hear the ocean and had crawled into the back.

He couldn't hold back the tears the pain brought and was so glad that no one could see him and judge him as weak. He figured the pain would be another hour tops, he still had a bit of gas in the car, he could drive it till it ran out find a bus station and sneak on a greyhound, he'd be lost before anyone noticed he was missing, working on the last time he ran away, it had taken them six weeks to notice he was gone, and he'd only been found to be missing because the police picked him up for stealing from a store front on Venice Beach. But heck he'd needed to eat and the pizza place he'd been scrounging leftovers from had gone out of business.

This time, he'd need a new plan.

He allowed the pain to wash over him and even though parts of him where still fighting it he passed out in the back seat of the car.

He awoke to the sounds of voices, his head was still foggy and nothing made sense. He heard a lock click and felt a hand touch his back.

Before he was even awake he had shot to the other side of the car and was scrambling to get out of the car door.

"Gettoffme!" He yelled incoherently.

"G?" Sam said concerned.

"Lemme go!" he cried; moving away from them shaking the fog out of his head.

"You can't make me go back….I'm not going back there!" he said shaking in fear.

"No one's going to hurt you Callen." Kensi said sweetly trying to comfort him.

Callen pointed a shaky hand at Deeks, "He lied, I'm not going with Hetty, you're sending me back…I won't …I won't do it again…I…I can't please…" Callen collapsed in a heap as another wave of pain rode over him.

Sam picked him up and carried him to Kensi's car.

"No please Mr.…..you don't know what he does…..please…I'll be good….I'll….." Callen's eyes rolled into his head as his body gave up the fight to stay conscious.

Sam turned to Deeks, "Call Eric get him to send a truck for the car, Kensi, Call Hetty…tell her I'm taking him home."

 


	14. A real family?

Slowly he came awake, but there was no way he was going to open his eyes yet.

He could hear people slowly talking in the background.

"I don't care what you want Hetty, he's my partner and he's had a bad day, he's staying here." Sam said.

Hetty voice cut through the gloom, "I would rather Mr. Callen be in my care whilst he's going through withdrawal, I can monitor his condition better." She said.

Callen couldn't suppress a small chuckle and he coughed.

"Something funny Mr. Callen?" Hetty asked.

Carefully Callen eased himself up into a sitting position and looked at the two people in the room.

"Yeah," He said his voice raspy, "Never thought I'd ever hear anyone fighting over who would keep me!" he let out a sarcastic laugh, "It's usually the other way round." He said.

"Yeah, well you fainted at the beach and you're staying here till your better."

Callen looked at Sam, "OK…." He said suspiciously, "Why?"

"Why what?" Sam asked confused.

"Why do you want me…I take it you and your boyfriend talked about this?" Callen said suspiciously.

"Boyfriend?" Sam said "I am married, my wife and I talked about you staying, and our daughter is fine with it. Why did you think I was gay?"

"You said he was your partner so I assumed…..Sorry," Callen said looking ashamed.

"I'm a Cop, er…Deeks is my partner, and he was worried about you as you ran off from him." Sam said.

Callen crossed his arms and stared at Sam mad, "He lied to me…I know you are only keeping me here for tonight and then you're sending me back to Oliver. I won't go back there, you can't make me!" Callen snarled.

Sam was slightly taken aback, Callen…the Callen he knew hardly ever let his emotions get the best of him, this Callen was full of emotions some he kept hidden like the adult version, some he couldn't help but blurt out."

"I promise you. You'll never go back there again." Sam said.

Callen scrutinized him, "Ok, you're telling me the truth, so why did Deeks lie to me?"

Sam sighed, it was like yelling at a tree to move, Callen was so stubborn, "Deeks didn't lie to you, he just wasn't sure of his answer; he didn't want to leave you totally without an answer so he gave you his best guess."

* * *

Callen wanted to apologize, he wanted them to forgive him and go back to earlier when everything had been close to ok. But he knew the punishment part was coming it always did, He reckoned that was why he was with the big guy. He wasn't going to prolong his punishment but he wanted to know what to prepare for. Some foster parents took away privileges but he didn't have any so that was out. Some still thought he was a kid and made him do time out that was boring but bearable. Some made him do chores. That he could handle and he hoped that was the one he got. The one he really hoped that this guy wasn't but he thought he could be was the sort that resorted to using his fists to get his point across. The 'you will listen to me even if I have to beat it into you' kinda foster parent. He hadn't met the wife yet, if she was nice and normal maybe he was one of the first ones or if she was either tough or scared maybe he was one of the latter ones.

As if she had heard his silent plea, Michelle came into the house.

"Sam!" she was mad, she'd just had a near miss on the way home with Kayla in the car.

"Michelle, hey you ok…I've got…." Sam started.

"No I'm not some jerk cut us up and we were nearly in a pile up." She snapped.

'Crap!' Callen thought and tried to make himself as inconspicuous as possible. To make matters worse another bout of cramps where starting to invade his system. He started shaking and held himself tightly.

"Michelle….Callen's here." Sam said, he had told his wife about Callen's accident a few days ago and she has listened although she hadn't totally believed him. Looking behind him, she was amazed to see a scared teenage boy hugging himself and trying not to shake.

Michelle put on her best smile to try to reassure him.

Callen saw this and looked totally stricken. 'Oh God….that's a fake smile, I'm either dead or outta here.' He decided.

Michelle walked up to him "Callen, I'm sorry about that, I had a bad afternoon." She said honestly. She put a hand on his shoulder and he jumped back flinching.

"I didn't mean to I….I'm sorry," He stammered.

"It's ok G; I didn't mean to scare you." She said.

Callen was still shaking and Michelle looked at Sam worried.

"He's just a bit sick right now." Sam said, "Come on G I'll show you to your room." Sam started walking away and Callen with a look of fear followed him.

'Oh God! I just upset his wife…stupid G you can't do anything right, it's definitely going to be the last punishment, he's gonna beat you to within an inch of your worthless life and you deserve it, what were you thinking stealing his car!' his mind whirled round and round with possibilities of what was going to happen to him and by the time he'd reached Sam's guest room he had imagined all but torture….nope scratch that, he'd imagined that twice!

Opening a door to what Callen had imagined was a basement; he was surprised to find a nice airy bedroom with an ensuite bathroom.

"I…Oh!" he said in surprise.

"Hetty said you liked showers, there is one through there, there's a bolt on this door so you have privacy, I will tell you that I did check to make sure you hadn't scored anymore drugs, but I haven't touched anything else of yours." Sam told him.

Callen looked in surprise. "I…thank you…but…" He didn't want to bring it up but the suspense was killing him, "What about my punishment?" he asked.

"What punishment?" Sam asked.

"I thought Miss L left me with you so you could punish me for taking the car and running away." He said softly.

"No, we found you on the Beach you passed out in my arms and I figured you could use a safe place to sleep." Sam said.

Callen looked at him carefully; he was surprised to see there was no duplicity in him. Sam knew this room would be perfect for Callen as he had stayed there many times as an adult and the security in the room was outfitted to Callen's own paranoid standards.

"Thanks." Callen said.

Sam nodded and walked out as Callen locked the door behind him, had a shower and within the hour had passed out on the bed, this time however it was just from tiredness.

* * *

Sam knocked on Callen's door a few hours later, "G you hungry?" he called.

Callen stirred but didn't answer.

Sam banged on the door, "G, you ok? we got food if you're hungry. If not that's fine just let me know you're still alive?" he yelled.

Callen woke with a start and was out the door within seconds, "Sorry Sir!" he snapped off quickly.

Sam looked at him quizzically, "G….I put some sweats out for you…were you sleeping in your clothes?"

Callen shrugged,

"Come on, Dinner." He said. Callen followed him to the table to find Michelle had cooked enough food for an army.

Michelle smiled as she and Kayla started helping themselves to food.

"Help yourself." She said to Callen.

Callen checked the food out taking small pieces of everything tasting carefully then eating small bites at a time. Never taking his eyes off the way the family interacted. Slowly he relaxed as he realized that they were as genuine as they seemed.

"So Callen, have you had enough to eat?" Michelle asked as they finished their meal.

Callen smiled warmly, "Yes Ma'am it's the best meal I've had in years," He told her honestly. "Do you want me to clear?" he asked

Michelle smiled at her husband, "See Sam, if only you were this helpful." She quipped.

A flash of fear crossed Callen's face maybe Sam would get mad and him, "I…Is it ok?" Callen asked.

Sam smiled "Sure it is…I'll clean the garage for her this weekend, that'll make it up to her."

Sam gave Callen a soda, "We'll take a break first then clean together yeah?" he said.

Callen took the soda and followed Sam out to the deck, "Why do you do it?" Callen asked.

"Do what?"

"Take in foster kids….you don't seem like the type." Callen said. "I mean, you seem normal, you're not in it for the money, you have a nice house and a nice family…so why?"

Sam shrugged "I don't as a rule, but your special."

"I …what?" Callen said surprised.

"You're special, you're a good kid and I have faith in you." Sam said knowing that it was something Callen desperately needed to hear.

Callen looked up at him. "Really?"

Sam looked into the younger eyes of his partner, "Yes Callen I do."

* * *

Chocked up with emotion Callen looked away. A Shadow covered him and he squinted up into the sun.

"What are you doing here?" Sam growled at Granger.

"Callen needs to come with me for a few hours, It's part of his recovery, Hetty sent you a message to tell you to let me take him." Granger said.

Callen shrugged, "I'll get my bag," He said resigned. "Thanks Mr. Hanna, it was great staying with you, will you thank Mrs. Hanna too please." He said with a small gulp.

He walked into the nice room and collected his bag, taking a moment he sat on the edge of the bed and wiped his eyes. He was going to miss it here, for a while it felt like family. It was annoying but not really surprising that the Social Worker guy had turned up, he figured they probably had someone better to stay at this house.

Taking a deep breath he hitched his bag up walked out the front door and leant at the car. Waiting for the social worker guy to finish talking to Sam.

"I was told he could stay tonight!" Sam raged at Granger, "This isn't fair on him."

"He's used to it, this is important; we do need Callen to come with me tonight, he needs this."

"How the Hell would you know what he needs, he needs to have one night where he feels safe with a family that cares." Sam snapped.

"He has a family that cares!" Granger snapped back.

Sam looked at Granger and past him to a sullen Callen leaning on the car.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Your assistant Director." Granger snapped back.

He strode off to the car and opened the door as Callen threw himself and his bag into the back and put on his seatbelt.

Sam couldn't help but feel sorry for Callen as he saw the look of helpless resignation and sadness on his face as he stared at Sam and the house as he and Granger drove away.

 


	15. Chapter 15

The further Callen got from Sam's house the more his gut churned. The guy driving the car hadn't said more than two words to him since he had driven off, usually social workers kept up an unending stream of banal chatter as they ferried kids from one drop point to another. Callen hated it, but this silence…he hated this more.

"Sir, where are we going?" He asked trying and failing to keep the worry out of his voice.

Granger ignored him and kept his eyes on the road.

Callen looked in the rearview mirror and checked the old guy driving the car out, he looked familiar, but then again he had dealt with so many social workers in the past he could be anyone, The guy made him feel strange though, like he should trust him…but not too much.

Callen crossed his arms and glared at the man, "You know if you're kidnapping me your out of luck, no one will pay a ransom for me."

Granger looked at the teenager with a slight smirk. He could see Clara's defiance in him, the slight pout he made which reminded him of his younger sister.

"You think no one would?" Granger asked amused.

"Don't have anyone to pay it." Callen said matter of factly, "So if that's your game your outta luck."

"Callen I am here to help you," Granger sighed. "I have only ever been here to help you."

Not understanding that remark Callen leant back and watched him through semi closed eyes.

* * *

"So where are we going?" He asked again.

"To see your father." Granger told him.

Callen looked distrustful, "I don't have a father." He said guardedly. He wanted to get his hopes up that somehow this guy had found his family and finally he would go home."

"Yes you do," Granger pulled the car off to the side of the road.

"Oh great!" Callen rolled his eyes and started rooting around in his bag for his knife, "Let me guess, I give you what you want and you will tell me all about my family….nice try mister," Callen said pulling out the knife. "I don't swing that way, you aren't the first to try….just let me outta the car and you can say you lost me, I ran away again or something." He tried to sound braver than he felt and Granger heard the scared kid underneath.

"No Callen, listen…I don't want to scare you and I certainly don't want to do that!" Granger said, "I am taking you to meet your father, he is a scientist, he has something that will help you, as you are sick and he can fix you."

"Who are you?" he asked "How do you know my father."

"I'm your uncle, your mother's brother. I know you were born in Romania, I know your favorite color is red although you say it's blue, I know your full name is Gregori Callen Lupescu, you had a sister Amelia, you called her Amy…She had an accident and died." Granger waited and watched as Callen sank back in the seat digesting the information.

He mouthed his name a few times, testing the sound and feel of it on his tongue. The he looked his uncle in the eye, "Who are my parents and why didn't they want me?" He asked.

Granger went to open his mouth and Callen stopped him, "You know what I'm fifteen now, if they didn't want me then I don't want them now so whatever they want tell 'em thanks but no thanks. I can look after myself. I don't need parents."

Granger sighed and shook his head "Just stay there Gregori." He said and switched the engine on.

* * *

Sitting in the back Callen started to get worried, was he really on his way to see his father? Where was his mother? Did she not want to see him? Had she given him up? The closer he got the more worried he was another tremor shot through him as the last of the drug still worked it's way out of his system and his thoughts got darker.

By the time they pulled up to the lab Callen was ready to bolt.

Granger got out and went to grab Callen's bag. "I got it!" Callen snapped holding the bag like his lifeline.

Granger looked at the doors where Hetty stood.

"Miss L?" Callen said surprised, "You know?" he asked.

"Come on in Mr. Callen, we don't have much time." She said and turned towards the door.

Callen followed them down the corridor until they reached a white door. Suddenly he found he couldn't go any further. Hetty and Granger turned and looked at him.

"Gregori?" Granger said.

"Th….that's not me….I'm G…I…I can't do this….." He started backing up, "What's in there anyway? What do you lot want with me?"

"Mr. Callen you will walk in this room right now!" Hetty ordered him.

Shaking his head and scared to death Callen moved back away from her, "You people are crazy, I'm not getting experimented on!" he yelled.

"Mr. Callen, you had an accident, you need this to get better." Hetty said softly.

"You're crazy lady; I'm fine, I'd know if I weren't." Callen found himself backed into a corner.

Granger grabbed Callen's arm and he struggled to fight him off. "Get off me!" he yelled.

* * *

Twisting his arm behind his back Granger manhandled Callen into the room as Constantine looked up.

"Owen!" he said surprised.

"This time, he doesn't want to be here." Granger said.

Constantine walked over to his son who was fighting back tears of rage and frustration. He placed a hand on his son's shoulder.

"GET THE HELL OFF ME ASSHOLE!" Callen yelled scooting away from his father.

Constantine stopped and crouched down in front of the shaking boy who was backed up into a corner, looking wildly for a way to escape.

"Son." He said.

"Not your son, I ain't nobody's kid so don't pretend you care….leave me alone!" Callen sobbed, "I don't know what you guys want with me but I don't want it."

"Look at me son," Constantine said calmly.

Despite his best efforts Callen found himself listening to this man, he lift his face slowly and looked into the eyes he only remembered in his dreams.

"I…I know you?" Callen breathed.

Constantine smiled, "Yes my son, all your life."

"Tata?"

Constantine nodded.

Callen looked at the man hopefully then stopped, "NO! You're lying…"

Constantine pulled out his wallet and showed him a handful of pictures of Callen growing up from when he was a baby through to when he was eight in a baseball uniform right up till he was an adult crouching at his sister's grave.

Callen carefully looked at the last picture.

"How?"

"It is 2013 son, you are 43, you were in an accident, and it had unusual side effects, it made you younger….but this is not you son, you've had your life, you need to be who you really are." Constantine told him. "Who you are is important, you make a difference and you need to be you again."

Callen looked his father in the eye and saw no trace of deception there.

"It's true?" he asked.

Constantine nodded.

"And….and you're in my life, I have my family when I'm grown up?"

"You will always have your family, even when you don't know we are around."

Constantine held his arms out, "Come here son." He said.

Callen moved and hugged his father, "Don't leave me Tata." He said.

"I never left you," Constantine said as he swiftly injected his son in the neck.

Callen sobbed in his father's arms as the medication took effect.

Slowly he fell asleep and Constantine moved him so he could talk to Hetty.

* * *

"I'm sorry for his behavior, I believe he was frightened did neither of you tell him why he was here?" Constantine asked.

"I assume Mr. Granger did?" Hetty said

"Er…No, I didn't and I told him he was seeing you, Con. He didn't believe me and then panicked as we got closer; I never got around to it." Granger admitted.

Constantine sighed as he looked at the small woman and his brother in law. "We should get him home." He said.

"Will he remember you this time?" Hetty asked.

"I don't know, I had to adjust the formula, I have no idea what he will remember when he wakes up," Constantine admitted, "Owen I will leave the keys for this place as our prearranged drop point, I will have to go in case he remembers me, you must do all you can to make sure he doesn't follow me or even try to look for me, it still isn't safe." He reached into his pocket and handed Hetty a letter.

"Miss Lange, if my son does remember me or asks about me, please give him this and tell him I never forgot him."

Hetty took the letter and nodded leaving the building behind the two men as they carried Callen's sleeping body out to Granger's car.

She turned and watched as Constantine walked slowly back into the building casting one last look at his son and then she got into her car to follow Granger.

Watching as he drove off she let out a frustrated breath.

"Oh Bugger!"

 


	16. Chapter 16

Callen woke up.

For a moment his head felt fuzzy, he turned under the duvet. 'I must have been drinking again.' He thought to himself pulling the duvet over his head and relishing the feel of the soft mattress under him.

Wait! Duvet? Mattress? Where the hell am I? He wondered as he cracked his eye an inch and slowly felt an arm out in one direction and a leg in the other just to see if he was alone in this bed.

OK, so I'm alone, in a strange woman's…Oh God, I hope it's a woman's, house!

He tried to think back to the last thing he remembered, Going to Grant Mason's lab and getting locked in…no wait, Mason was dead and he had gone back to the office and felt tired and gone home, he was sure he hadn't gone to a bar after work.

He slowly sat up….he recognized this room; he was at Hetty's. Although no one knew, Hetty had fostered him for a while as a teenager after Jason died…while he got clean.

OK, so why am I at Hetty's?

He sat up and saw his clothes on the chair across from his bed, he carefully lifted the blankets and looked down, OK so why am I naked in a bed at Hetty's!

Checking himself out he was relieved to see no more bullet holes so he hadn't been shot. He looked at the track marks on his arm. Shit, did something happen, there is no way I shot myself full of smack. But the needle marks were there nonetheless. God! Maybe that was why he was at Hetty's; if he used and they knew at work his job was history.

ENOUGH! He yelled to himself. Speculation wasn't going to sort this out. Whatever happened, it was his mess and one thing he wasn't was a coward.

He climbed out of bed and walked across the room to the ensuite.

Having had a quick shower he got himself dressed and as he tied his shoes tried to figure out how to get out of there before Hetty got up.

The door to the room opened a crack. "Don't even think about it Mr. Callen, Breakfast in the kitchen in five." Hetty said and the door closed.

Callen rolled his eyes, just as he remembered there was no way he could ever hide himself from her.

* * *

Walking down to the kitchen he saw his bag at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hetty." He said as he slipped onto a chair and helped himself to a mug of coffee.

"Good Morning Mr. Callen, how are we feeling this morning?" Hetty asked, studying him intently."

Callen looked over at her, "Honestly Hetty I'm confused…" He replied

Hetty raised an eyebrow, "Confused?"

"Yeah, why was I in my…I mean your bedroom?" Callen coughed "I…I mean here at your house, did I get injured?"

"In a way, what is the last thing you remember?" Hetty asked looking up as Granger entered the room behind Callen.

"Mason, we got him, and closed the case, then I went home, I felt a bit tired….then nothing." Callen told her, "Did something happen to me?"

"In a way Callen," Granger said, "you breathed in some gas and lost your memory."

Callen looked at Granger; he had some weird feelings about him but kept his game face on.

"Ok so how long?" he asked.

"Sorry?" Hetty asked him

"How long have I been mentally missing?" He asked.

"A month…If you wish you can have a few days off work." She offered.

Something was niggling him, pushing it down he turned to Hetty, "No I think I need to come back to work, are we dealing with any active cases right now?" he asked.

"No, not right now." Hetty admitted.

Callen nodded and grabbed his bag, "My car out front?"

Granger shook his head, "No, I can give you a lift in if you want." He offered.

Callen looked over at Hetty, "I will be a bit late Mr. Callen, and I have a meeting first."

Callen grabbed his bag and walked to Grangers car.

Sitting inside his gut started to churn, he had flashes of Granger talking to him in the car and something important….just out of reach.

Refusing to talk to Granger, Callen tried to focus on what he was missing.

* * *

As they pulled up outside the mission Callen walked briskly inside and dropped his bag at his desk.

"Sam." He said in greeting to his partner who stood there with his mouth open as a fully grown up Callen took the stairs to Ops two at a time.

Quickly recovering his equilibrium he, Kensi and Deeks followed.

"So our little guys all grown up." Deeks said and yelped as Kensi punched him in the arm.

"G…you ok?" Sam asked catching up to him first in ops.

"Nell, I want to know if you have any footage of me from…." Callen started and stopped as he saw the face on the screen.

Nell had been running a background check on Constantine Lupescu and his face was still on her screen.

Callen stared at the man on the screen as all the memories came flooding back.

'Tata' he said under his breath.

Nell, standing the closest heard him, "Do you know who he is?" she asked.

"Where is he….NELL,WHERE IS HE? I NEED TO KNOW, NOW!" Callen shouted at Nell.

Nell looked at Callen shocked at his uncharacteristic outburst. The whole floor had gone silent with other tech support staff watching what was happening between the team of agents and the head analysts.

Callen was shaking and staring at Nell who burst into a flurry of activity.

"We found him this morning he's booked on a flight in three hours from LAX to Paris." She said.

* * *

Callen turned and ran out of the room with his team on his heels, none of them knowing why they were following but determined to have his back.

Halfway down the stairs Callen ground to a halt as he saw Granger.

"You son of a bitch!" Callen growled and punched him, "You knew...you knew and you played me!"

"Callen?" Granger said wiping the small amount of blood off his lip where Callen had hit him.

"G?" Sam said grabbing Callen's arm.

Callen shook Sam off, "Back off Sam, this is family business, isn't that right Unchiu." He snarled.

Callen pushed past the stunned Agent and carried on down the stairs.

"Callen!" Granger called. Callen ignored him and kept walking, "Gregori" Granger called again.

Callen turned. "Unchiu pare rău. Am să găsi tată meu și nimic care le puteți spune-mi se va opri, și atunci tu și eu va trebui să vorbesc. Aveți o mulțime a răspunde la pentru, mama ar fi dezamăgit în tine."

Granger blanched and sank to the stairs as the team walked past him.

"No she wouldn't." Granger said sadly, to the now empty room.

* * *

Callen climbed in Sam's car as Kensi and Deeks got in the back.

"Ok so we are after that guy on the plasma and he's at LAX…" Sam said as he started driving, "You wanna fill us in on who that guy is and what on earth just went on between you and Granger?"

Callen shook his head.

"Holy Hell!" Kensi exclaimed, "He called you Gregori…Granger…Granger knew your name Callen?"

Callen shrugged. "Suppose he should." He said

"How should he, I mean…we are glad your back 'n all, but what the hell is going on G?"

"Closure." Callen said.

"G?" Sam said getting madder by the moment.

Callen sighed, "The guy on the plasma….he's my father. Granger is his brother in law and he knew, all these years Granger was the one watching me remember the book Sam? All my foster homes written over the years in an ageing hand…it was Grangers. He's my uncle."

"Wow!" Deeks said earning a look from Kensi.

"Now Sam, floor it we need to get to the airport, before I lose my father again."

 


	17. Chapter 17

Nell turned to Eric shaking.

"He…he yelled at me?" she was shocked it was not the sort of thing she had ever experienced in her line of work. "Do you think Callen isn't all...you know…Callen?" She asked Eric.

Eric pulled his friend into an awkward hug as Nell calmed down and then stepped away.

"Thank you." She breathed.

Eric nodded and turned to his workstation and tapped a few keys and Callen's flight from the room played out on the screen. They watched him go down the stairs and hit Granger.

Callen had turned to Granger and spoken to him in Romanian.

"What did he say?" Nell asked, "Maybe it will let us know what's happening with him?"

Eric pulled up the footage of Callen talking to Granger again and ran a translator program in the background.

"Unchiu pare rău. Am să găsi tată meu și nimic care le puteți spune-mi se va opri, și atunci tu și eu va trebui să vorbesc. Aveți o mulțime a răspunde la pentru, mama ar fi dezamăgit în tine."

Eric read the translation off his screen.

"I'm sorry uncle, I have to find my father and nothing you can say will stop me, and then you and I will have a talk. You have a lot to answer for and mother would be disappointed in you." He read in a shocked voice.

Nell looked at the screen and the stopped footage of Granger and Callen on the screen.

"So you know." Granger said from behind them, "I take it you told him where his father was?" He asked the duo.

"I…I didn't know!" Nell said.

"Why would you want to keep that from him anyway?" Eric asked angry that Granger had lied to his friend.

"It's complicated and it was for his safety, I take it I'm too late and Callen has made his way to the airport already?" Granger snapped.

"Yeah, the car's just pulled up." Eric said looking at the GPS on Sam's Challenger.

"Why didn't you tell him?" Nell asked rounding on Granger, Callen was her friend and Nell had spent many an evening with Callen as he had talked through how much family meant to him and what he would do if he ever found any of them.

"He didn't need to know." Granger said flatly and turned to go.

If Granger ever had any doubts about Hetty's plans for Nell to be her successor in the future, Nell's next move removed all doubt. Standing in the doorway and pulling herself up to her full 4ft 6in in height she put her hands on her hips and stared down the assistant director.

"And you…as his uncle, knowing what he's been through the last few weeks and how much he has craved a family, plus all the things he went through in Romania rescuing Hetty from the Comescu's didn't feel like he 'needed to know!'" She snapped.

Granger found himself stepping back and stifling a small smirk, which Nell saw and she realized exactly how much Callen looked like his uncle, she could see his father in him too. But the smirk was definitely from Granger's side of the family.

"Miss Jones, any conversations I need to have with my nephew will take place with him not you, if for some insane reason he decides to confide in you afterwards then that will be up to him. Now can you at least let me go?"

Glaring at him Nell gave a curt nod and moved to one side.

Granger walked down the stairs muttering about how redheaded short women were scary!

Nell turned back to see Eric staring at her with his mouth open, "Eric, can we get eyes in there, it might help Hetty if we can tell her what happens in there."

Eric nodded and turned to the screen.

* * *

Sam had barely parked up at the international terminal, as Callen jumped out of the car.

"Keep up with him!" Sam said to Kensi and Deeks as Callen took off through the airport.

Reaching an information Kiosk, Callen pushed past the other people and slammed his badge on the desk, "Your flight to Paris, which gate?"

"Gate 108." She said pointing him in the right direction.

Callen ran through the terminal with Kensi and Deeks hot on his heels.

Finally he reached Gate 108 and looked around for Constantine. But he was nowhere to be found. He went to the desk and put his badge down again. "Is there anywhere else passengers for your flight to Paris would wait?" Callen said trying to get his breath back.

"Which Passenger are you looking for?"

"Constantine Lupescu."

"Oh he's waiting in our VIP lounge, I can have him paged…"The attendant looked at the badge again, "Do I need to call security?"

"It's fine, we're NCIS it's just a routine matter," Kensi said smiling

Callen ran to the door and stopped.

Deeks looked at him, "You ok?"

"I can't go in there…" Callen said suddenly afraid. "What if he's running from me…what if he didn't want me…do I want to know?"

Kensi looked at him, "Callen, this is all you've been wanting; if you let him go you'll never know."

"There's always Granger." He snapped sarcastically.

Kensi opened the door and Constantine looked up as Hetty turned around.

"Ms. Blye?"

"Hetty? Callen's here…" Kensi said

Callen wanted to go in but his feet wouldn't move.

"Bugger." He heard Hetty exclaim from outside, that alone made him move.

* * *

"You knew too! How much more did you keep from me." He said totally focused on Hetty, "I trusted you, you told me you didn't know who my father was… YOU LIED TO ME!"

"Gregori." Constantine's voice cut through Callen's rage.

"I…."

"Son…" Callen turned and looked at his father.

"Tata….?" He really didn't know what to say, he vaguely knew his team were watching him and he saw Sam arrive but he didn't care thousands of questions flew through his brain in the end there was only one thing he could say, "Don't leave me again…please."

Constantine walked up and threw his arms around his son.

"I don't want to…but I must." He said sadly.

"Why…did I do something?"

Constantine smiled at his son. "No, you are so like your mother, she would have been so proud of the man you have become."

"Don't go." Callen was unashamedly crying now.

Hetty looked at them both. "I think I have an idea. Mr. Callen, I cannot protect your father indefinitely but I can arrange a safe house for a few days which you can both use to get acquainted."

"I don't think that's a good idea..." Constantine started.

Callen stepped back, "He's right…" He turned to go a haunted looked of pain flashed across his face.

Kensi grabbed hold of his arm, "Where are you going."

"Away." Callen snarled "Get off me."

"Gregori, No wait!" Constantine stopped him, "I meant that a few days are not right, I need something permanent. But I will take the few days first, Hetty is right you and Owen are my only family and you are both in a position to defend yourselves. Maybe it's time I stopped running."

"Mr. Hanna, you and Ms Blye and Mr. Deeks may head back to the office, Mr. Callen will be taking a few weeks off and will be coming back with me and his father," Hetty told them.

Smiling the three agents left.

"You're going to stay?" Callen said hopeful.

"Yes my son, Henrietta says we need to talk about your relationship with your uncle,"

Callen looked abashed. "Er…yeah…maybe" he admitted.

"Mr. Callen, Mr. Lupescu, I think it's time we went home." Hetty said and led the way out of the building.

* * *

Two hours later sat in a plush living room, Hetty handed over the keys to Constantine, "There is a guard outside the door and three in the grounds, I have talked to Director Vance, He is very keen to keep you in protection until we can eliminate the threat on your life, your work is very valuable and the head of homeland security Tom Morrow will be coming to see you next week about your work."

Constantine nodded, "I hear my work is being used now." He said

Hetty nodded, "Yes even your son has used it on occasion."

Callen looked confused, "I have?"

Hetty smiled at her lead Agent, "Project Overwatch, your father invented the chemical you sprayed on Janvier."

"Marcel Janvier?" Constantine asked.

Hetty nodded, "You knew him?" She asked him.

Constantine smiled, "He's dead?"

"Mr. Callen was forced to shoot him as he was escaping custody."

"Good."

"Good?" Callen knew there was a lot to his father but this was confusing.

"Janvier sold out myself and Clara to the Comescu's in 1974."

Callen looked at Hetty in surprise, "Did you know?"

Hetty shook her head, "We had no idea who sold your family's whereabouts to the Comescu's. This was something even I didn't know."

Callen believed her. He sat in the chair watching his father and Hetty finalize the security arrangements for Constantine's stay.

His father…he was still stunned, this morning he had woken up naked and confused in one of Hetty's beds and in the course of one day he had gained an uncle and a father.

As he watched the older man talk with his boss, he knew he would need to sort out all the emotions he had running around in his head.

Picking up the phone he called the one person whom he knew could help him sort out his feelings without judging him and who could help him get a handle on his emotions.

He called Nell.

 


	18. A good friend and a talk.

Nell was sitting in ops as her phone went off.

"I've gotta take this." She told Eric and walked out of the room and down the hallway.

"Callen, did you find him?" she asked on picking the phone up.

"Yeah I got there." Callen replied and Nell could hear the smile on his face.

"And…." She prompted knowing there was more.

"What makes you think I have any more to tell?" He teased.

"You're calling me." She stated.

Callen laughed, He and Nell had become fast friends after she had been kidnapped by the Elite forces training team. After spending nights on the phone to her as she had suffered through her nightmares and evenings talking about his family issues and growing up in foster care, a strong friendship had developed. He had found it comforting, there was no, I need to be your friend and watch your back, type friendship like he had with Sam. He couldn't do this with Kensi or Deeks and still comfortably remain their team leader. Nell was an easy friend to have, she didn't judge. The best part was unlike other women he had tried to talk to she didn't want to get him instantly into bed either. All she asked was he kept her secrets and in return she kept his. It was pure and simply, a perfect friendship.

"You're right as usual, I think I'm feeling overwhelmed. I…God… Nell. I found my father!" Callen exclaimed sitting back and feeling the truth of that statement overrun him.

"And your uncle." She prompted.

"You heard that?" He asked

"I got the gist of it the first time, your Romanian lessons are paying off, but Eric ran it through a translator program so we got the rest of it."

"And Granger?"

"He wanted to try to stop you getting to the airport. He wasn't happy."

"When is he ever, do you know if Hetty has called him yet, Constantine wants to see him."

Nell was quiet for a second; she noticed he hadn't called his father, his father.

"Yeah he's on the phone now," She said looking over the balcony, she could see Granger animatedly talking on the phone

"YOU'RE DOING WHAT!" Granger's voice rang out throughout the mission.

"I…Don't think he's happy." Nell said suppressing a slight smile.

"Good." Callen grinned at the other end of the phone conversation.

"Are you coming back to work?" Nell asked.

"In a week or so, I need to find out what this is…if he wants to know me…if I'm good enough." Callen said

"Stop it!" Nell said harshly. "You are good enough."

Callen didn't answer.

"G!"

"I have a name Nell…" Callen breathed sounding slightly scared. "All these years I wondered…now I know….I'm Gregori Callen Lupescu. Does this make me any different…I don't feel different…am I different?"

"Calm down Gregori." Nell said it felt weird calling him that. "A name is a name, you are still just G, your name is G and you are my friend, that hasn't changed."

Callen laughed again.

"Only you can take my crisis and calm it down," He laughed.

"So, are you ready to go talk to your father?" Nell asked.

"Nope, don't think I'll ever be ready for this. But I'm going, Granger on his way yet?"

"Yeah he left five minutes ago, Call me again if you need me won't you."

"I'm going to let Hetty tell you where we are. After I've talked to him, will you come over; I may need my best friend." He admitted.

"Of course I'll be there," She smiled and hung up.

* * *

Callen turned and walked back into the room where Hetty and his father were sitting having a cup of tea.

"Mr. Callen, feeling better now, I hope Miss Jones could help you."

"I…She's just a friend Nell."

Hetty smiled, "Everyone needs a good friend Mr. Callen, would you join us," She asked offering him a cup.

Callen sat and had a drink with Hetty and his father.

"You have questions my son?" Constantine asked.

Callen looked at his father, wanting to commit his face to memory.

Hetty recognizing Callen's need for privacy excused herself and went outside to wait for Granger.

"Why didn't you come and get me?" Was the first question that came to mind while they were alone.

"I couldn't." Constantine started, "I had been told that Janvier had sold us out to the Comescu's and I contacted your mother's brother to collect you from the beach along with your mother. Your mother wanted to ask for help from her CIA handler so she called her."

"Hetty." Callen said and Constantine nodded.

"Yes, we never met but your mother spoke highly of her." He said.

That little piece of information helped Callen feel better about the woman he cared for like a mother.

"By the time Owen reached the beach he was too late, you had gone and your mother was still on the beach, but she was gone." Constantine looked distraught even after all this time as he remembered Granger telling him about his wife's death and even now he mourned the loss of the woman he loved.

"Janvier had taken you, I have found out today that it took a year for Hetty to find you and take you to America, soon after that Owen found you in a children's home in Los Angeles. He contacted me and I knew Janvier or the Comescu's were watching you to find out where I was and while I was away from you, you were relatively safe. Owen took Amelia to Los Angeles as well, the plan was to reunite you both in foster care and for you to grow up together, but unfortunately Amy died."

Callen looked at his father, all the animosity he had harbored over the years towards his absent parents melting away as he saw a father who had sacrificed everything to save his children.

"I thought you didn't want me, I was always told that I was not…" Callen got up and walked to the window, unable or unwilling to tell his father all he had been through.

"I always wanted you Gregori. I have always been proud of you."

"PROUD HOW CAN YOU BE PROUD…..YOU DON'T KNOW ME!" Callen blew up at his father.

"Owen watched you for years, I saw your first little league game, your first football game, and I even watched you graduate, he filmed it all for me. He came to you while you slept in hospital when you had your tonsils out and your appendix. I followed your career with interest."

Callen sat on the sofa his arms wrapped around himself feeling suddenly cold.

"And the bad times….the drugs…Oliver, did you know about those times?" he asked scared of the answer.

Constantine went to put his hand on Callen's shoulder but he flinched and moved further along the sofa.

"Yes," Constantine replied softly, "I knew."

Callen looked up with undisguised tears in his eyes, "And you left me there?"

"I had to, to keep you safe."

"I wasn't safe…." Callen breathed.

Constantine looked at his son all the regret he felt was visible on his face. "I know. But you were alive."

Constantine moved to be closer to his son, but Callen stalked to the window.

"What about Granger, you could have gotten him to…" Callen couldn't even continue his inner child being subjected to these answers finally wearing him away emotionally.

"He was told not to, I hoped when you joined NCIS, that with Owen having a position of power there that he would tell you who you were as soon as we knew you were safe."

"I can take care of myself." Callen snapped

"That's my job." Constantine replied.

"Well, DAD…You did a lousy job at it!" Callen countered and walked towards the door.

He flung the door open trying to leave and walked straight into Granger.

"Gregori?" Granger said.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT! He doesn't exist; he died in 1974 on a beach in Romania." Callen pushed past Granger and continued out into the corridor.

"So," Granger said turning to his brother in law, "All going well I see; nice little talk?"

"Shut up Owen." Constantine said as he sat in the chair with his head in his hands.

 


	19. One missed step.

Callen walked out of the house not paying attention to where he was going as he couldn't stop the tears that were falling, he was angry, angrier than he had ever felt in his life…but he was angry more at himself.

Finally he had what he had always wanted in his grasp, he had a family, his family… and he had just ruined everything by blowing up at his father. There was no way he would want a relationship with him now.

Callen stopped at Point Sur Lighthouse a place he had visited with Nell a few times as she liked the view, there wasn't much of a view now, but the stars were out and he sat down at a bench overlooking the Ocean and wiped his eyes angrily with his sleeve, a move he hadn't done since he was a child.

Calming down slowly he realized what he had done not only had he walked out of the house mad, he had driven without any idea of where he was going…he could have been killed.

"Crap!" he said aloud and then looked to see if anyone was around to see him talking to himself.

* * *

He didn't know what to do know, his father had thrown away his last chance at safety to be with him and his uncle, he had yelled at his uncle telling him his mother would have been disappointed in him, and he'd told his father….oh God! There was no way he could go back and face the man now…but he'd left his bag there, anyway his father would probably be long gone by the time he got back, having found out how useless a son he was, he wouldn't want to stay around for him, no one else ever had before.

He looked at his phone, a part of him wanting to call Nell and tell her what an idiot he had been and hope that she would know how to fix it, another part of him had hoped his father would call, tell him it was ok and he loved him no matter what and to stay where he was because he was coming to get him.

Neither of those things happened.

It was now early in the morning and Nell would still be at home in bed so he wasn't going to call her.

Callen looked at the phone and realized he was still crying, 'what the heck is with you man?' he questioned himself, 'you're a forty-two-year-old man who is crying like a girl…it's no wonder no one wants you around for long!'

He sat up, recognized this as what Nate would call destructive thinking, and then decided he didn't care.

Try as he might he couldn't pull himself out of his negative head space, he kept mulling the words he had said to his father over and over in his head. The one sentence that he kept hearing was his father's answer to his question about all the abuse he had suffer.

"Yes I knew."

He knew…all the times he had been beaten, neglected, abused and his father had known and had done nothing! Granger, his uncle had known and had done nothing! They hadn't cared enough to save him.

Callen placed his head in his hands and sobbed openly, for the child he had once been and the man he now was. He had been found by Hetty and used and turned into this, an Agent with no name, expendable by the government, by his family all for the greater good and the adults who had supposed to be protecting him as he had grown up HAD ALL KNOWN!.

He felt totally betrayed.

He picked his phone up and looked at it; still his father had not called to see if he was alright or to apologized.

He watched as the sun rose over the horizon, he wanted desperately to call Nell, to tell her how he was feeling. But he was the team leader, he needed to be stoic…he couldn't do it, he'd had enough.

Taking one last look at his cell phone, he threw it off the cliff into the sea, turned around and lost his footing.

* * *

Nell paced ops, something was wrong and she didn't know what until an agent in distress symbol flashed up on her screen, "Eric, Callen's phone's gone offline."

Eric sent out a message to the other team members and looked for where the phone was last activated.

"It's not at the safe house; his phone was last activated at Point Sur lighthouse." He told her.

Nell sighed and dialed Hetty's number.

"Hetty, its Nell, Callen's phone has just gone off the grid at Point Sur lighthouse, I thought he was with you?" she asked.

"He was, I'm not sure what's happened but Granger and Constantine are having an argument right now."

"Well I suggest you get them and go and see if he's ok." Nell snapped.

Eric looked at her like she was crazy as Nell hung up the phone.

"Y…you just told Hetty off!" He exclaimed stunned.

Nell leant over her desk and grabbed her keys out of her bag, "So." She snapped and walked out of OPS as the others started up the stairs.

"He's at Point Sur Lighthouse," She called as they went into ops for a update from Eric.

"Where you going?" Sam called.

"To get him!" Nell replied and carried on walking.

* * *

In the twenty minutes it took to let the team know what had happened, Nell had made it to the lighthouse, she had figured that would be where Callen would go and think as they had been there together a few times. Nell liked the place, it was creepy but the views had been awesome. The sun was starting to rise and the glow was brilliant across the sea. She saw Callen's car parked up and walked along the walkway from the light keeper's house to the lighthouse itself.

"Callen!" She called. She walked around every inch of the lighthouse. He was nowhere to be seen.

As she turned and walked back up the wooden walkway she stopped as she noticed a part of the white wooden barrier that formed part of the walkway had broken.

"Nell!" She looked up as Sam, Kensi and Deeks arrived, "Where is he?"

"I don't know I've… CALLEN!" She screamed looking over the edge and seeing a body lying halfway down the cliff face.

The others ran up as Nell looked horrified over the edge.

"Eric, call 911," Sam said into the earpiece, Sam stared over the edge as he looked at the still body of his partner lying there.

Deeks and Kensi went to the gift shop and looked around for some rope, something to get one of them down there as Granger, Hetty and Constantine pulled up in their car.

"What's happened?" Granger asked Deeks as Kensi ignored him and continued looking.

"Callen is halfway down the cliff face, I don't know how badly he's hurt." She said as Hetty looked shocked and a look of anguish passed both men's faces, "I don't know what you did to make him end up here, but I hope it was worth it," she spat at Constantine.

The paramedics arrived and Sam helped them get down to Callen's body, he still hadn't moved an inch since Nell had first spotted him.

Nell grabbed Kensi's hand, "Have you two got a thing?" Kensi asked noticing how worried the other woman was.

"No, EW…he's too old for me, but he is my best friend," She admitted.

Constantine reached the top of the cliff and looked over at the sight of his son's battered and possibly broken body on the cliff face and shuddered. "How is he?" he called down to the paramedics.

The paramedics finally made it to Callen's position and checked for a pulse… "We have a heartbeat, it's thready… but it's there, we are going to need a chopper to airlift him from here," the paramedic called up to his partner,"

Hetty turned to the paramedic beside her, "I will arrange that." She told him and made the call.

Down beside Callen, Sam looked at his partner, "Hold on G…Help's coming…Just hold on!"

 


	20. Ouch!

Everything hurt, he lay there with his eyes closed, he knew he had fallen down the cliff and could feel the spray from the sea as the wind whipped it up the sloped cliff face. He cursed his luck at actually throwing his phone in temper right before he actually needed it.

'Great,' he thought to himself; 'you're going to die here because of your temper. You should have just given him a chance. All he wanted was to be your father…you couldn't even do that right.' He couldn't stop the tears that leaked out as another wave of pain washed over him, he had no idea how long he had lain there. He thought of his mother and sister, he felt peace at the thought of finally being with them, in fact over the wind and the sound of the ocean he had thought he had heard his mother call; "Callen!"

'Odd?' he thought; 'Why would my mother call me Callen and not Gregori?'

Again the pain washed over him and he allowed the darkness to claim him.

Suddenly he was much warmer, he felt himself flying, all he could see where clouds, "Finally…I'm dead, mama?" he breathed but no-one answered. Then a much louder rhythmic thumping noise (Maybe a heartbeat?) he thought and then the darkness again.

* * *

The others stood by helplessly as the rescue helicopter plucked Callen off the cliff face and with the coastguard brought him to the top of the cliff, the paramedic got out, and Sam climbed into the chopper.

"We are taking him straight to hospital by helicopter his injuries won't survive a journey by land; we are heading to Cedar Sinai if you folks want to head there,"

Hetty nodded and the all piled into their respective cars and headed out.

On arrival at the hospital Sam gave the doctors Callen's medical history and all the details they needed.

"Was this a suicide attempt?" the doctor asked.

Sam stood stunned, was it? He didn't know. "I…I would say no…but he has had a history of suicide attempts just a couple and he has gone through a major life change recently." He said honestly.

He stood and watched as they walked off with Callen's lifeless body, "G, I really hope you weren't doing something stupid." Sam said sadly. He was mad that Callen hadn't called him through this, he was his friend, he had wanted to be there for him, but Callen hadn't apparently needed any help.

He made his way to the waiting room and waited for the others to arrive as he filled in Callen's medical forms.

From behind the doors the pace of people walking back and forth increased, there was a scream and some shouting, Sam got as close to the doors as he could.

He looked through the window and down the corridor he saw something launched at the head of a nurse and two security guards running in to restrain a patient.

"Can I help?" Sam asked a nurse, "I'm a Federal Agent."

"Yes!" The nurse sighed, "I think this guy was brought in with you…he's come to and is completely freaking out!" she said.

Sam followed her down the corridor, "G!" he yelled as Callen disorientated and wild-eyed had a nurse in a headlock with a scalpel at her throat even though it was obvious that the arm he was retraining her with was broken.

"They wanna kill me Sam, they wanna put drugs in me…they have needles… Sam? Sam?" Callen called, even though Sam was right there he wasn't acknowledged in anyway by Callen.

Sam walked up to Callen's ear, "I got your back partner, that's not the bad guy, they are trying to help, I'll be right here," he placed his hand on Callen's shoulder and all the adrenaline flooded out of him and he crumpled into a heap.

The doctors moved in as Sam helped maneuver Callen back onto the gurney, A nurse sedated him as the doctor walked over to Sam, "I need his full medical history, something we gave him reacted with whatever medication was currently in his system. We will be keeping him sedated he has a broken arm and a dislocated kneecap, we will need to keep his leg immobilized for a while, but I don't know what medications he's been on and I don't want to give him the wrong thing, do you know where I can get this information?" he asked.

Sam nodded, "My boss should be here soon, she's his next of kin and knows all his medical history."

"Obviously we will be keeping him restrained and under guard. I don't know what that poor man's been through, although that reaction looked to me like PTSD. But until I am sure he isn't a danger to himself or my staff we will be keeping him restrained." He said.

"Army medic?" Sam asked and the doctor shook his head,

"Marine, two tours Desert Storm, before I was shipped stateside." He said.

* * *

The doctor walked with Sam out to the waiting room and was surrounded by a group of people. "You're all here for Mr. Callen?" he asked.

"Yes we are." Hetty said as she and Constantine and Granger came forward.

"Very well, as you know Mr. Callen was injured as a result of his 'fall' from the cliff at Sur point." The doctor started. "His injuries are consistent with a fall of that type; he has a broken arm and a dislocated kneecap, and significant bruising on his back. However, thanks to a minor incident earlier we know he isn't paralyzed nor does he have any spinal damage."

The group as a whole seemed to relax a bit more at that.

"Can I speak to his immediate family alone please?" The doctor asked, Sam looked uncomfortable but nodded as he ushered the others out leaving Granger, Hetty and Constantine alone with the doctor.

"Is there a problem?" Granger asked.

"Sorry Can I first ask your relationship to Mr. Callen?" the doctor asked.

"I'm his foster mother and Next of Kin; this is his uncle and father." Hetty said.

"Very well then you all know of Mr. Callen's history of Suicide attempts, considering where he fell and the fact that there was an unknown drug in his system we are wondering if there is any chance this was another suicide attempt?" he asked.

Constantine looked shocked he'd had no idea about the suicide attempts but watched the other two, Granger and Hetty were forced to consider that it was possible.

"It's possible, the unknown drug in his system however was an antidote to a designer poison he accidently ingested, my brother in law created the antidote, he's a biochemist." Granger said as Constantine wrote down the formula for the antidote.

"Here, this is what was inside the antidote," Constantine said and handed the formula over.

The doctor took it, "Thank you, we will arrange for a psychologist to come and see Mr. Callen when he awakens."

"We have our own on staff, Mr. Callen has worked with him before, I could have him come in and see Mr. Callen." Hetty offered.

"Can I go see him…please?" Constantine asked.

The doctor nodded and moved aside and pointed to the door of the room Callen was in. Constantine shot the others a look of pain and walked down to his son's room.

* * *

Callen lay on the bed sedated his uncast arm was restrained by a leather cuff tied to the bedrail. His other arm immobilized in a white cast. His right leg as also in a large white plaster cast to stop him from moving it while it healed. Even though he was sedated his eyes darted from behind his closed eyelids as he had a dream. Constantine sat and held his hand gently. He leant over and stroked his son's forehead soothingly.

"Tata?" Callen mumbled in his sleep.

"I'm here," Constantine said.

"Tata îmi pare rău, vă rog, nu mă lăsa" Callen called in his sleep.

"I'm not going anywhere my son, rest and heal; Eu nu veți lăsa din nou." Constantine said and Callen stilled.

Granger and Hetty walked in behind him, as Constantine talked to his boy.

"You had better not leave him again." Hetty warned his father, "I don't think he could cope with it again."

Constantine turned to the smaller woman, "You have been so close to my boy, I tried and he ran off and tried to kill himself, I have already failed as a father on my first day."

"You didn't fail, you made a mistake. I will have Nate there the next time you try, I made the mistake as well, we all knew how much Mr. Callen wanted a family, we just didn't take into account how much he'd had to live with while he was growing up and how much emotional baggage he was still carrying with him." Hetty said.

"I'll let the others know he will be ok and I'll call Nate." Granger said and left.

Constantine turned to Hetty, "He will be ok won't he?" he asked apprehensively.

Hetty looked at how Callen leant into his father's touch subconsciously and smiled, "I think he will, I will go and help Owen, I think you need to be here."

Constantine nodded as he turned his attention back to his son.

 


	21. Waiting

Granger took a deep breath and walked out into the waiting room.

He was surprised to find the whole team still sitting there waiting for news.

Sam and Nell were the first ones up to him.

"How is he?" Nell asked.

"He's a lot better than the doctors originally thought. He's got a broken arm and some badly bruised ribs, his knee was dislocated but as a precaution due to the fact he's been thrashing about a bit, they've put a temporary plaster cast on. The will replace that with a knee brace as soon as he's fully awake."

"But the paramedic said he was too unstable to transport by road?" Nell said confused.

"He had a gash on the side of his head, the paramedic was erring on the side of caution, and he's had an MRI and its come back all clear." Granger told them. "His father is with him now, they've lightly sedated him and he should be out of it until tomorrow, you can all go home if you want." He told them all.

Kensi, Deeks and Eric nodded, "We'll see you in the morning." Kensi said and they headed off.

"I'm staying," Nell stated

"Me too!" Sam said

Granger nodded and walked away seeing the two looking at eachother, 'I'm not getting in the middle of that!' he said to himself and went to look for Hetty.

* * *

Nell sat down and Sam walked over, "You and Callen got a thing going?" Sam asked suspiciously.

Nell looked up in surprise. "A thing?"

Sam sat next to her, "Yeah, a thing….like Deeks and Kensi have a 'thing'." He said.

Nell looked affronted, "NO we do not have a 'thing'!" she said. "Callen and I are friends and only friends." She snapped.

"Yeah, He usually comes to me when something is bothering him, but you seem to know more about what's going on in his head than I do." Sam said.

Nell smiled and turned to Sam.

"Callen is still your partner and your friend, but you tend to point him in the direction that you want him to go and you mother him a lot, he feels stifled by it. He trusts your advice out in the field and trusts no one but you to have his back, but when it comes to emotions and feelings…you've always had a happy home life and even with all your brothers and sisters your home life was a happy one. Callen never had that and he needed someone who understood." Nell said gently.

"And you do?" Sam snapped.

Nell's eyes instantly dropped to the floor. Sam felt sorry for his outburst as she let a single tear fall. "Yes." She said she got up and walked to the window.

"Nell?" Sam asked worried for her.

Nell sighed and sat down again, "After I was kidnapped, Callen took me aside and we talked, He would be the only one up when I had a nightmare, he has someone who I could talk to, so I'd call him. I do know what Callen had been through, I'm an orphan." She admitted.

Sam looked confused. "But every Christmas you tell me about going to your parents." He said.

Nell smiled, "I lied, well not exactly." She admitted. "I see my last set of Foster parents, the Jones' they are a nice couple, and they keep in touch, but I don't have any real blood family."

"So that's why you and Callen get on as friends?" Sam asked.

Nell nodded, "That's all it is, we even shared a family for a while when I was small, I was about five and Callen was about 17 and we passed through the same home, he was there for a night, I was there for a week." She recalled. "It came up while we were talking, I think of Callen as an older brother, he likes the fact that we can talk and I don't want something from him,"

"I don't…." Sam said, "But I do worry, he is my partner and I need him to be in the right headspace."

Sam stood up and held out his hand, "Coffee?" he asked. Nell nodded and they went in search of something to drink.

* * *

Granger and Hetty walked in to see Constantine still sitting by Callen's bed.

Callen was still sedated and Constantine looked to the other two for reassurance.

"He's still sleeping?" Hetty asked.

"Yes, what can I do to make this right?" Constantine asked. "He said I was a terrible father, he is right, but I did not expect him to try and kill himself."

The beeps on the monitor sped up a bit and the others looked up, then Hetty turned to Granger, "Owen, did you get to talk to Mr. Callen before he left?" she asked.

Owen shook his head, "Mentally he's been through a lot, but I thought he would have talked to Sam, I know he's always wanted to meet his father," Owen looked at Constantine, "What did you say that had him running out the door?"

Constantine looked confused "I don't know we talked about what I knew about him growing up and I said I was proud of him…I can't think what would have set him off."

Hetty pulled up a chair and sat near the two men, "I fear for Mr. Callen's mental health, obviously you both know about his suicide attempts as a teenager, and I had thought he had stopped that…but now I'm not so sure."

Constantine looked distraught, "This is all my fault, if I had known what I said to upset him, I could have avoided this, I could have stopped him going out. I understand him trying to shoot himself, he has a gun, but why did he try and jump of the cliff at Point Sur?"

"Who knows?" Hetty said "When he awakens maybe he can tell us." She looked at Callen lying in the bed and her heart went out to him.

She wondered if Nell had any idea what Callen had been thinking and where his mind was at when he had walked out. Callen had told Hetty of their friendship but she wasn't sure how many others knew about it and she resolved not to talk to anyone else until she had talked to Nell. She got up and left the two men watching over Callen as he slept.

* * *

Walking past the cafeteria she saw Nell and Sam sitting at a table and walked over to them.

She smiled to herself she knew that Granger had told everyone to go home and wasn't really surprised that they didn't.

"May I join you?" she asked.

They nodded and Sam, the consummate gentlemen pulled a chair out for her which she took gratefully. "Tea?" Sam asked. Hetty nodded and Sam went to find her some decent tea.

Taking advantage of the time alone Hetty turned to Nell, "Did you know, Miss Jones, what Mr. Callen was planning on doing?" she asked.

"No what was he planning on doing?" Nell asked confused.

"His doctor thought he may have…" Hetty started realizing she had no way of phrasing it.

Nell stood up outraged. "He DID NOT try and kill himself…he wouldn't do that!" She said her eyes flashed in anger.

Sam turned with a tray in his hand at the outburst that had left the entire cafeteria silent. Hetty looked abashed and Nell was as furious as he had ever seen her. Then he saw something, he never thought he'd ever see and wasn't sure if he ever wanted to see again.

Nell slapped Hetty!

Even Nell couldn't believe she had done it, one moment she was talking with her boss then she was asking if she knew that Callen had tried to throw himself off a cliff. Outraged for her best friend she had stood up to defend his position to her boss when she had said, "It's not like it's the first time and he's not all that stable now."

Nell couldn't stop herself, she slapped Hetty and grabbed her bag, "At least I have more faith in him than you do!" she said and stormed off to the waiting room.

Sam put the tea down and poured Hetty a cup, "Hetty, do you want to tell me what the Hell just happened?" he asked.

"I think Mr. Hanna, I just made a grave mistake." She said and sipped her tea.

 


	22. I did WHAT?!

Callen slowly opened his eyes, his leg hurt and he was in restraints. "What the hell?" he grumbled.

He mentally assessed all his injuries, then reached over with the arm that was in plaster and wasn't cuffed and undid the restraints. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed wincing as the cast on his left leg swung heavy off the edge.

His ribs hurt as well and he tried with his one arm to adjust himself ready to try to stand up.

"And you're going where?" a voice came from the doorway.

Callen sighed and looked up, "Geez Nell, ya scared me. I can't stay here, it'll be ok, I can get better at home." He reasoned.

"And you'd get up off your bedroll with a leg like that how?" she asked with a slight smile.

"So I'll sleep on the chair!" he argued.

"Now Mr. Callen, you won't be leaving this facility until you have had a full psychiatric evaluation, it is our practice that patients who try to commit suicide stay under evaluation for the full 72 hours." The doctor said walking in behind her.

"Patients who did what?!" Callen breathed not believing what he was hearing.

"You tried to jump off the cliff at Point Sur." The doctor said flatly.

Callen's face grew dark, Nell stepped back.

"Doctor, the only thing that deliberately went off the cliff at Point Sur, was my cell phone, if you want to keep that for evaluation be my guest, I am leaving." He said pouring determination in every word.

"It is common for people such as yourself…." He started and Callen cut him off.

"Doc, I'm leaving this is non-negotiable, I DID NOT try to kill myself, I slipped throwing my cell phone off the damn cliff. Now get this damn cast off my leg and get me a brace and let me out of here!" his voice rose higher and higher until he found he was shouting.

* * *

The door opened behind him and Callen looked at the three people standing behind the doctor, and glared at them, "Which one of you…" he took a deep breath as a wave of pain rolled over him, "Which one of you told them I had tried to kill myself?" He growled.

Hetty, Granger and Constantine looked ashamed, "With all that's happened son, do you blame us?" Constantine said.

"YOU don't know me well enough to make that call Father!" he spat totally livid, "The only one that I thought did, obviously doesn't, Do. You. Hetty!" he looked at her and for the first time Nell saw the other woman look ashamed.

"Nell knew, she told us, but we wondered…I wondered what with your past." Hetty reasoned.

Callen smiled at Nell and held out his good arm and she moved over to give him a hug, "Malinki sistra." He said quietly looking down at her.

"They made a mistake G, trust them…I know it'll be good for you." She whispered to him.

Callen pulled back and looked at her, and then he smiled. "Thank you." He said.

* * *

Nell stood between them all, "Callen needs a brace and YOU," she said to all three of them, "Can inform the hospital of your mistake and help him so he can get better."

Hetty nodded stifling her smile as she ushered the doctor out, one day Nell was going to make a good successor to her, she had it seemed chosen wisely.

Callen sat back as he waited for the doctor to come back with a knee brace so he could get the annoying cast off his leg.

Granger and Constantine sat down in the chairs as Nell sat hugging her knees on the end of the bed, "I had to tell Sam." She said softly.

"How did he take it?" Callen asked ignoring the others.

"Wasn't thrilled…but I think he was please we weren't dating."

Callen smiled, "Ew!"

Nell laughed, "Yep, he's mad you didn't talk to him though."

"I will," Callen promised,

"You should…and G….cell phones are expensive…next time, just switch it off!" Nell smiled at him.

Callen rolled his eyes, "Sure…Pixie."

Nell screwed up her face and then laughed, "You sure you didn't hit your head on the way down?"

"Not too bad, I have a scar though, ya wanna see?"

"Ew, No!" She knew he needed to fill the void and didn't want to talk to the other two men. "So you gonna stay with Sam when they let you outta here?" she asked.

"He will stay with me," Constantine said. "As should you young lady."

Nell looked at him incredulously. "I should, should I?" she said sarcastically.

"You have a relationship with my son do you not?" Constantine asked.

"EW! NO!" they both said together, "She's my little sister." Callen snapped

Constantine and Granger both looked confused, "We shared a foster home." Callen clarified, "She had the same sort of upbringing, I can relate with her and trust her."

Granger looked at his nephew and the technical analyst, "We have assumed much about both of you, and I think we need to start again."

"Why?" Callen asked. "Yes you have assumed, you all seemed to think I would be ok with all of this, it's been forty three years, you didn't think I'd have issues with you leaving me, or you," He pointed to Granger, "You were around all my life, Great! I could have used your help with the jerks like Oliver and the other foster 'parents' you deemed fit to leave me with. I would NEVER do that to a child….No matter what…no matter what the danger or the risks, NEVER would I leave my child DO YOU GET ME!" Callen snarled at the pair of them while Nell laid a comforting arm on him.

"Tata, we have issues, they are to be expected, but as you thought I wasn't worth protecting by being at your side rather than throwing me to the wolves, I'm not going to suddenly be your son, I am and never have been anyone's son. I am me, G…That's it. I would like to get to know you but don't for one second think it's going to be easy." He sat back as a wave of pain shot through him.

"Callen will be coming home with me, you can both see him again in a few days," Nell told them.

"No, Nell…not this time. I need some time." Callen said.

* * *

The doctor walked back in and shooed them all out, as they stood in the hall discussing where Callen was going to go to recuperate the new doctor placed a walking brace on his knee. The new doctor had heard everything and he turned to Callen, "Well Mr. Callen, we are all done and you can leave when you sign these," He handed Callen a stack of forms.

Callen signed them and looked sadly at the group all standing outside his room.

The doctor smiled, "Want an escape route?" he asked.

Callen nodded gratefully, "I heard what happened, I hope you don't mind my poking my nose in, but I was brought up in the system too, you have a chance with your father to get back what you lost and he doesn't seem like a bad guy, get your head together then talk to them, you don't have to make it easy on them, but they may be just as scared as you are."

Callen looked at the doctor. "Who are you?"

"Just a friend, like I said I've been there." He smiled, "I'll give you a five minute head start, and I'll expect to see you in a week." He handed Callen his card.

"Thanks Doc," Callen said he hoisted his bag on his shoulder and left the rest of his stuff on the bed, knowing someone would collect it and he shuffled out of the side door through the next room and out into the hallway.

It wasn't long before he was out of the hospital and headed to a motel. The doctor was right all he needed was time; he needed to know in his mind where he stood. Not where it was expected for him to stand.

He sat on the bed and took two of the painkillers the doctor had given him, within minutes he was asleep.

Nell couldn't believe it, three grown adults all of whom had for different reasons Callen's best interests at heart were arguing about him like a piece of meat.

"Enough!" she said. "Callen will go where he decides to, to rest and recuperate, he isn't a child's toy, but he is your child." She said looking at Constantine. "He's made decisions for himself his whole life, allow him to continue to do so." She stood with her hands on her hips daring any of them to contradict her.

Hetty turned to her analyst "Very well Miss Jones, We will ask Mr. Callen what he wishes to do." She said and they entered the room.

It was empty apart from a pile of belonging and a small note on top.

Nell opened the note, "Nell," she read to them all, "Please tell…them…I need to figure some things out….alone. I am not in danger, I have my medication and I AM NOT SUICIDAL! (Idiots! Don't read that out, coz I know you are.)" Nell smiled at that but as requested kept that to herself. "I will be back here in a week to get the brace checked; I will see you all then. Callen." Nell stopped reading aloud but the postscript that was addressed to her she read to herself.

PS Nell you have been and always will be just like a sister to me, don't take this personally, I am not leaving you or the team. I just need time malinki sistra. I WILL be back in a week and I'll need a new cell. Love always bal'shoy brat.

Nell smiled at the postscript and turned to the others, "He'll be back here in a week, I suggest we grab the last of his stuff and vacate the room for someone else and I also suggest you all use the week to try and figure out how these revelations affect him as well as you, Hetty maybe you should let them both see Callen's full file. They need to know everything." Nell said.

Hetty nodded….yes with this one she had picked wisely. She thought again as she left with the others following behind.

 


	23. Pause...Really?!

Stretching carefully Callen awoke looking around the motel room he had been directed to by the doctor who had orchestrated his escape. For a middle of the night choice, it wasn't so bad in the daylight.

He carefully swung his leg over the bed and used the crutches to get himself to the window and opened the curtains. The view of the beach and the ocean invigorated him and he opened the window to get his first breath of fresh air that day.

He placed the crutch against the window frame and limped carefully into the small kitchenette to make a coffee. It wasn't the best cup in the world and the handle on the mug had broken but he had definitely had worse. He moved a big wing backed chair to the front of the window grabbed the mug and sat back, swallowing two more of the pain pills the hospital had left him.

For the first time in days Callen had time, Time to deal with his thoughts and time to sort out himself what he needed to do, he hoped that Eric wouldn't try to trace him as he needed this, No Hetty, No Granger and certainly no Constantine…Father…Dad? He didn't know what to call him.

Sipping the coffee he lay back into the chair listening to the sounds of children and families arriving for a day at the beach and Vendors setting up their wares on the boardwalk below.

Just trying to center himself was hard. He resisted the urge to ring Nell or Sam to talk. Both would listen both would give their opinions, Sam would urge him to come back and face his demons, Nell would fight for his right to be where he was and he would worry about them as well. So he didn't call.

He grabbed a pad out of his bag and started a list; it was something he hadn't done since he was a teenager.

'OK so what do I want from this?' he said to himself, mentally smiling thinking Nate would be proud.

Do I want a relationship with my Father?

Can I forgive him for not coming to get me?

Can I be someone's son?

How do I be his son…

He picked up the piece of paper screwed it into a ball and threw it in the general vicinity of the trash can.

The painkillers started to work again and he dozed off to the sounds of families playing on the beach.

* * *

He was small, and he was with his mother and his father and Amy on the beach.

Amy and Clara where paddling in the ocean and Callen looked up squinting in the sunlight as his father put sunscreen on his back.

"Gregori, lasă-mă să pun asta asupra ta înainte de soare te arsuri, atunci să putem construi o fortăreață de nisip împreună." Constantine said to his son with a bottle of sun screen in his hand and looking at Callen's small spade in his son's hand.

Callen looked up full of love for this man who made him feel safe, dropped the spade and lifted up his arms so his father could hold him.

"Tu iubesc Tata." Callen said as his four year old self snuggled his face into his father's neck feeling safe and loved.

The scene in his mind changed again and got dark and stormy, his sister screaming and a faint pop from behind him, a sound he now recognized as a gun with a silencer attachment. Arms snatching him up and the smell of…lilacs and lily of the valley, a woman's smell a strange language and him shaking alone and scared.

Then his dreams really went into overdrive.

Running on the beach in the distance he saw Kensi and Deeks and Nell and a large picnic spread, then he was small, scared and hiding in a closet, a small woman was talking to him and then a huge African American man gave him chocolate…Sam? Sam! Sam was huge!

Callen woke up with a start, "What the hell?" he knew that Hetty had been the small woman, with what he had told her she had looked in on him from time to time throughout his childhood, as a penance to his mother, her way of checking on her son. At one point, his lowest point, she had taken him in and fostered him… But Sam? Why the hell was Sam in his childhood dreams and so tall. If he had met Sam in his childhood Sam would have been a kid too?

Callen took a drink of soda from the icebox and sat back at the window. He laughed to himself, his head certainly was one messed up place.

* * *

Constantine, Granger and Hetty sat around the table at the safe house.

"I am not happy he has been allowed to go off on his own." Constantine said.

Granger and Hetty exchanged knowing glances, "I can assure you Mr. Lupescu that Mr. Callen can more than take care of himself." Hetty said handing him a cup of tea.

"But without Owen to watch his back…." Constantine trailed off.

"I haven't been really watching his back for years, he's had his partner to do that, I have kept him off the radar where possible but the only real threat to him in recent years was Eugene Keelson, and he was dealt with." Granger told him.

Constantine looked up, "Keelson was another thorn in my side, and he kept threatening to sell my whereabouts to the highest bidder." He admitted.

"Keelson got a hold of my note book, he tracked down the woman he thought was Amy, nearly killed her and Gregori." Granger told them.

"You knew about that?" Hetty asked.

Granger sent her a smirk that reminded her so much of Callen she wondered how she could have missed it.

Hetty sighed, "You know Nate prodded me for weeks thinking I had written that damn book!" she said exasperated.

Granger laughed, "What stopped him pushing?"

"I gave him a sample of my handwriting, he wanted to have it analyzed." She said a smile slowly creeping onto her face, "He was embarrassed when it came back as a man's handwriting."

Granger flat out laughed.

"What happened to the woman Keelson thought was Amelia?" Constantine asked.

"Her name was Hannah Lawson; she was Amy's friend at the orphanage and took her name when she died. I figured she had her own demons to run from and it wasn't hurting anyone, she was just a child." Granger said.

"Owen! You do have a heart!" Hetty exclaimed.

Granger shot her a look.

"So how are we going to handle this?" Granger asked bringing them back to the task at hand.

"We are not." Hetty stated.

"We're not?" Constantine and Granger both asked.

"We created this mess by keeping secrets from Mr. Callen, if he is ever going to trust us…" She sighed hoping it wasn't already too late, "Then we have to let him set the pace."

"But right now he is off the grid and injured what if he gets exposed?" Constantine asked concerned for his son.

Hetty smiled and Granger nearly spat his tea out.

"You know where he is!" he exclaimed.

Hetty's smile got wider.

"The doctor who gave Callen the escape route was one of mine."

Granger glared at her, "Really!"

Hetty took a sip of her tea and put the cup gently in the saucer, "Owen, do you really think I would let NCIS's most valuable asset in the field  **without** knowing where he was at all times?"

 


	24. Time to face the music.

Callen had had his week, he had slept, he had taken all his meds and his knee felt a lot better.

Finally Monday was here and his appointment at the hospital.

He clambered carefully out of the Taxi placed his crutches in one hand and grabbed his bag and threw it over his shoulder, and hobbled into the orthopedics department. Looking around he was please to see that there wasn't a welcoming committee for him. Waking up this morning he had been worried that the taxi would pull up and he would be surrounded by his father, uncle and the team all wanting a piece of him.

He knew if they had been there, he probably would have told the driver to keep driving.

He booked in and took his seat in the waiting room.

"Mr. Callen?" A nurse called and Callen followed him into the consulting room.

He sat down and the doctor walked in, "Good Morning….Mr. Callen." He said not even looking up, "Oh…we don't have a…" He started Callen knowing exactly what was coming said "Gregori."

He smiled as for once well for the first time in his memory someone filled in a form with his first name.

"I'm sorry Mr. Callen I have no idea how this could have been missed out of your records."

"It's fine. It's not your fault," Callen assured the man.

"Very well, looking at your preliminary x-rays it seems you have got off lucky, your knee is sprained, you don't need the crutches anymore or the brace however, and a support bandage will do fine. I can see you followed doctor's advice and rested it that is good." The doctor said reading through the file. "I also see you turned down psychiatric counseling?" The doctor said with a scowl.

"Doc…I don't need it, I did not try to jump off that cliff, I did get angry, I did throw my phone over the cliff and I did slip, but the slipping was an accident."

"Can you tell me what you were angry at?" the doctor prodded.

Callen laughed, "I found my father."

"And this made you angry?"

"Long story doc, but yeah, I have issues, but these I intend to deal with." Callen promised the man.

"Will you at least take some pamphlets," Callen looked at them and smiled. "Doc, I have a clinical psychologist at work who I can talk to if I need to." He promised.

"Very well, regarding your knee, I would stay on the painkillers for another week, so no driving for a while. Is your work an active job?" the doctor asked.

"You could say that Doc, I'm in law enforcement." Callen grinned.

"Oh, Ok then keep the brace on for an extra week and two weeks desk duty." The doctor wrote down a prescription for painkillers and Callen took it gladly.

"Now rest, Mr. Callen, I hope I don't see you again for a while." He smiled, Callen handed him the crutches and picked up his bag and left.

* * *

Still feeling safe he walked to the outside of the hospital and went over to a coffee cart to get a drink and sit on the low wall nearby to decide what his next move would be.

Taking only two sips of his coffee his move was made for him.

"So I see it went well with the doctor this morning." Hetty said sitting down on the opposite side of the wall.

"Desk duty for two weeks then back to full time." Callen said.

"Are you ready to come home Mr. Callen?" Hetty asked.

Callen turned to look at her, ignoring the small twinge that shot up beside his kneecap. "Home?" he asked.

"NCIS, the house to see your father, your partner and teammates back to us…Home…" She reiterated.

"I…." Callen realized he didn't know, but Hetty had hit it right on the head, that was home…well maybe not the safe house so much, but his teammates and NCIS that was home…he had a home! The urge to bolt was strong and Hetty put her hand on Callen's shoulder.

"I can't keep running can I?" he asked

"Aren't you tired of it?" Hetty said sadly hating to watch her favorite agent in so much mental anguish.

"I am." Callen said and Hetty relaxed a bit. "But, I'm scared mom…" he whispered without realizing what he had said.

Hetty smiled, "its ok to be scared son, your father and uncle are scared too."

"They are?" he looked at her surprised

Hetty nodded, "They are scared you won't forgive them, that you won't come back, that they have lost their chance to get to know you."

"Why do they care?" Callen snapped as the pain nipped him.

"Because they are your family, you really have them and they will stay, they are not going anywhere," Hetty told him.

Callen turned away, "They did before…."

"Gregori?" Hetty said using his name for the first time Callen looked up. "You will NOT be alone, I will be with you, they want to see you will you come home with me?" Hetty asked.

Callen couldn't talk but he took the hand that Hetty held out and followed her to her car.

Pulling up to the house Callen found he was shaking but managed, he hoped, to hide it from Hetty as he climbed out of her Jag.

He grabbed his bag and followed his boss into the house.

* * *

Granger and Constantine were sitting in the house as were the rest of the team and Eric and Nell.

Callen grinned at Nell as she ran and hugged him.

"Ty v poryadke?" she whispered in his ear.

He looked at her and shook his head, "Net, ya boyus'"

"Dostoin Ty i u vas yest' sem'ya i druz'yachto zabota, pust' oni vam pokazat'." She said.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the living room where everyone was sitting.

"Listen to her Mr. Callen, she is right." Hetty said coming up behind them.

"We aren't all staying G; we just wanted to see if you were ok and say welcome home." Sam said smiling at Nell and Callen.

"I saw the doctor this morning when Hetty allows me back to work I am on desk duty for two weeks and then back to normal."

"I think, Mr. Callen, it is time you took a week off here to do what you need to, if you need to come back earlier that is fine, but next week Mr. Callen….Paperwork!" She said with a small smile.

The team either hugged him, 'Sam, Kensi and Nell.' Or fist bumped, 'Eric and Deeks' on the way out.

"Pozvoni mne, no tol'ko yesli vam nado pogovorit!" Nell said on her way out of the door.

* * *

Callen nodded and walked into the kitchen picked up a mug and filled it with coffee as he heard someone enter the room; he knew it wasn't Hetty or Granger having become accustomed to the sounds they made.

"Constantine," Callen said without turning around. "I suppose it's time we faced the music." He continued with a sad smile on his face. He turned and as he suspected his father was sitting behind him on a chair by the kitchen table.

"Music?" Constantine asked the term lost in translation.

Callen smiled and sat across the table from his father.

"I mean, father…it's time we talked, It's time I talked…I need to show you something." Callen said.

Constantine looked confused, as Callen took his shirt off, not only were there the five bullet holes from the drive by shooting a few years ago but on his arms and back were very light faded scars from many years ago.

"Not all of the scars I have from growing up are mental father. Some are physical, knowing that you could have gotten me away from that hurt me badly." He said.

Constantine looked at the scars on his son, "Can you, will you tell me about them son?" he asked carefully weighing his reaction. He wanted to get up, throw his arms around his son, and tell him he was sorry he was wrong and it would be alright now that Tata was here. However he knew if he did that Callen would most likely run.

Callen slipped his t-shirt back on, sipped coffee and slowly told his father about all the homes he grew up in the good and the bad and the awful ones, how he had cried himself to sleep hoping his real mother and father would realize they had lost their son and come and get him. How he had felt when social workers had told him his parents didn't want him.

Constantine nearly lost his composure at that point.

Then he told him about the abuse, the physical, the verbal and once or twice the sexual that he had had to live with and then the abuse he had inflicted on himself. The cutting, which thankfully hadn't lasted long, the drug abuse, the suicide attempts the drinking and the neglect of his own well being.

Six hours later as Hetty looked in on them Callen was sat on the floor by the kitchen counter sobbing being held by his father who was comforting him.

"I'll never leave again." Constantine promised, "I love you son. I've got you, it'll be ok now." He said repeatedly as he stroked his son's back.

Constantine nodded to Hetty who smiled and left the two of them to start to heal.

* * *

Translations.

Are you ok?

No I'm scared.

You are worthy, you have family and friends that care let them show you.

Give me a call, but only if you need to talk.

 


	25. Family

Callen woke up, grabbed his bag and went downstairs, grabbing a coffee off the counter as he sat and ate the toast his father handed him.

"Are you ready for today?" Constantine asked.

Callen took a sip from his coffee as he nodded, "I am ready to go back, what are you going to do?" He asked.

Constantine smiled; "I am spending the day with your uncle." Callen rolled his eyes and smiled back.

Over the past two months Callen had found an easy truce with his father, they were slowly rebuilding his relationship. Callen had seen his teammates on and off case dependant on them coming over and Hetty and Vance had given him all of his accrued paid leave. This had amounted to about six months although after two Callen had called Vance and asked to be reinstated. After assuring Vance he was ready to come back and that his new family situation had been settled, the director had agreed with him returning.

Nell had been over as well and she and Sam had reached their truce and Callen had enjoyed spending time with his two best friends.

Callen had changed, fundamentally at his core he was the same person but over the last few weeks something had changed, he had started smiling and laughing more. He relaxed more and slept. Ok so not many people knew about the last one, but He himself had noticed, he was going to bed at between 11 and one am and waking up between six and eight in the morning. The first night, the night he had cried himself to sleep in his father's arms, he had just assumed it was exhaustion, emotionally and physically. But then it happened night after night.

He woke up and came downstairs after the first week with what he would his normal sleep patterns disturbed, he had rung Nate. Talking to him for two hours they had come to the conclusion that the questions that had kept Callen awake, 'who am I ? What's my name? do I have a family?' were all answered so there was no need for any more sleepless nights. Nate had laughed when Callen sounded so upset, "But Nate…When am I going to find the time to do everything?" he asked.

"Callen you'll just have to survive like the rest of us mere mortals." Nate replied.

Callen sighed and agreed with the operational psychologist.

* * *

So today, he grabbed his bag and walked to the door of the safe house where he was still staying with his father. Blinking in the early morning L.A. sunshine he grinned as he saw Sam leaning against the charger waiting for him.

"Morning…Moving out again?" he said looking at Callen's bed roll, a slight frown of worry on his face.

"Nope laundry, I wanna drop it in on my way to work." Callen grinned.

"You going home anytime soon?" Sam asked.

Callen shrugged and threw his bag into the back of the car and slid into the passenger seat, he knew what he wanted to do, but he hadn't thought about how to bring it up.

* * *

Walking into the mission after his time away reminded Callen of when he had been shot and had to take six months off for his recovery.

"Hey Callen!" Deeks grinned as he rounded the corner and saw the team leader entering.

"Deeks." Callen smiled in reply.

"Gregori, welcome back, I trust you completed your paperwork?" Hetty asked.

Callen smiled, "Yes Hetty, you left me enough to do."

"How come you're calling Callen by his first name?" Sam asked Hetty, "You never do that."

Hetty smiled as she walked past Sam's desk towards her own office, "You have had years of being called Sam, Mr. Hanna, this is Mr. Callen's first chance of using his own name…I suggest you help him get used to it." She said.

Granger came past on his way out of the building, Callen got up and followed him to the edge of the bullpen just far enough away from prying eyes, "Granger…uncle, how are we going to play this, I never mentioned to Vance that you were my uncle, but if he finds out?"

"Leon has known for a while, I was looking in your file when he caught me, don't go off on one though, you know now why I did what I had to do." Granger said in his usual gruff manner.

Callen grinned, "I'm not likely to hold it against you now though am I."

Callen turned to go, "Aren't you spending today with Tata?" He asked.

Granger grinned, "Yep, wait here after work, won't you."

Callen looked shocked, he was still surprised at Granger's change in attitude towards him, and he was more like an uncle now and less like a boss. It was nice, but unsettling.

He turned and walked back to the bullpen, He was glad that no new cases had come in so far and he wasn't being thrown straight back into things.

* * *

Walking back in he caught the end of a 'Densi' argument. He grinned at the nickname he had given them. "So she says that if I don't watch it again, she's going to sulk all week!"

"Michelle makes me watch it every week," Sam grouched.

"I know it's awful!" Deeks groaned.

"What's that?" Callen asked.

"The Voice, US." Sam moaned… "At least you don't have a TV."

Callen laughed, "Nope but Nell does, you tried getting in between her and that show." He replied.

"That! Is because it is an awesome show and you men are all tone deaf!" Nell said placing her hands on Callen's shoulders and giving him a hug.

"Not true!" Deeks argued, "I was in a band, Sam can sing some!"

Callen laughed, "Some?"

"Maybe Gregori actually likes the show…" Nell said

"NELL!" Callen exclaimed, "Well ok I do a bit, but only because my uncle watched it with Nell and Tata last week, the girls weren't bad looking." He had to admit.

The day continued in a similar vein and Callen grew tired, but held out until the end of the day, Hetty caught him trying to sneak off early and motioned him to come to her office.

"How was your first day back Gregori?" she asked.

"Well apart from everyone calling me Gregori every chance they got, it was pretty normal, it's nice to be back," He admitted.

"And with your family?" Hetty asked.

Callen did a double take at that, he had never been asked that question. "I…it's…I suppose I will have to go back to my house soon." He said a note of sadness rippled through his voice and as shrewd as she was Hetty caught it.

"You do not want to go back?" she asked.

Callen leant back and took the glass of single malt that Hetty handed him. "Is is wrong, I'm a 43 year old man who wants to…." He stopped.

"Wants to what?" Hetty asked

Callen took a sip of the drink and dropped his eyes ashamed, "I want to live with my father, I want us to be a family, I know I'm 43, I know I own my own house, but…..I want…I want to have a family life, I want to know what it's like to live with a father that loves me, not someone who is paid to just see to my needs…is that wrong, am I wrong?" he asked.

"I should hope not, most people get brought up by parents that love and support them, you didn't have that as a child, but you have the chance to as an adult. Maybe you should seize it with both hands Gregori."

"But what if….." Callen couldn't voice his biggest fear, what if his father thought him weak for wanting this.

"I hope you do want this Son," Constantine's voice came from behind them, "Your uncle and I have been house hunting all day, I found a nice one on the beach for us, I was hoping you would rent your property out and maybe come and live with me for a while."

Callen's face split into the biggest grin Hetty had ever seen.

"I think, Mr. Callen, you should take a few more days to get settled into your new home." She suggested.

Callen nodded as Sam laughed from behind them, "It'll take him ten minutes he has a box, a plant and a chair."

"Hey I own a lamp too!" Callen protested.

The others laughed as Sam held Callen's bag to him, "Come on partner, and let's move you."

Deeks looked up "You're moving?" he asked.

"Yep; in with my father." Callen confirmed.

"You are renting your place out?" Deeks asked.

Callen grinned, "Sure, are you interested?"

Deeks grinned, "I've been looking since I got shot," He admitted, "Just with Monty, no one is really interested to let."

Callen smiled and threw him a set of keys. "I'll be moved in twenty minutes, it's all yours."

"What about references and a deposit?" Deeks asked.

Callen laughed "I know your boss and I owe you for a really great game of cars…if I remember rightly. Besides if you and Kensi get together you'll need a bigger place," He walked out laughing at the shock on both his junior agents and the LAPD liaison's face as he said that.

* * *

Standing with a box full of everything he owned he and Sam arrived at the address Granger had given him. The house was a large four bed three bathroom beachfront property. The house was impressive and Callen stood for a moment admiring it.

"You ready?" Sam asked.

In his life Callen had lost count of the times he had packed a bag and moved from home to home. This was the first time he had been nervous. Sure moving as a child he had been scared, nonchalant, or just didn't care, but never had he been nervous.

Constantine opened the door, "Come in, Welcome home son." He said.

Callen was surprised as he and Sam entered the house was already unpacked, "Tata?" Callen asked.

"I brought this house a month ago, I just lacked the few things I needed to ask you to move in" Constantine admitted. "Like the courage to ask you."

"You were worried to ask me?"

"Sure son, what if you hadn't wanted to live with me…but I took your uncle's advice and fixed your room up and then asked you."Constantine said as they walked up the stairs.

Constantine opened a door, "This is your room son." He said

Callen stopped and nearly dropped his box. It was everything he had ever wanted, a big bed, a computer desk and chair, space for his things and….and…Callen reached over and picked up a picture frame with lots of small pictures inside. "Mama!" he breathed looking at the pictures of his mother, Amy and himself as a baby. He turned to the window away from the others as he couldn't stop the flood of tears that fell freely from his eyes.

Constantine walked up to his son and placed him in a hug, "sunteți în sfârșit casa fiului meu, nu ai nevoie de a muta din nou. Nu vă voi lăsa și nu trebuie să mergi din mi noi suntem în cele din urmă familie."

Callen placed the box on the bed and gently placed the picture next to it.

"Thank you Tata, I won't leave, not now I've finally got what I have been searching for…family."

* * *

Translation:

You are finally home my son, you need never move again. I won't leave you and you don't have to go from me we are finally family.

 


End file.
